District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – John C. Matthews, 67, of no fixed address, has been sentenced to a 51-month prison term after earlier pleading guilty to robbing a bank last fall in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Matthews pled guilty to a charge of bank robbery in February 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on June 2, 2016 by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan.  Following his prison term, Matthews will be placed on three years of supervised release.  At the time of the offense, he was on parole for an armed robbery committed in 1978, and his parole had been revoked on six previous occasions.

            According to the government's factual proffer, on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, at approximately 9:22 a.m., Matthews walked into the PNC Bank located in the 1700 block of Columbia Road NW. He walked up to a teller, began pointing to the front door of the bank, and provided a handwritten note with instructions to read it. Among other things, the note stated “That box contain enough C-4 explosives to cause great harm to people if the gentleman in hard hat push a bottom [sic];” “Fill bags with $100 bills, $50 bills, and $20 bills;” “—No dye packs –No silent alarms – No Traces;” “Fill bags so they easily slide through window opening;” and “Hurry up!!!”  At about this time, the man who was wearing a construction-type vest and hard-hat -- and who is still at large -- opened the inner bank door from the vestibule and placed a shoe box in the lobby and then re-entered the bank vestibule.

            The teller gave Matthews approximately $1,150 in currency and he and the second man then left the bank.  The robbery was captured on bank video and Matthews’s face, unmasked, was clearly visible.  By about 11 a.m., law enforcement located Mathews hiding in a rear basement storage room a few blocks away. He was wearing the same clothing as seen in the video of the bank robbery and with the stolen money still on his person.  He has been in custody ever since. The bank building was evacuated and MPD’s Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit was called in while much of the block was cleared.  Bomb technicians ultimately determined that there were no explosives in the shoe box that was placed on the floor by the other man.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Chief Lanier praised the work of the D.C. Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service. They also commended the efforts of those who assisted at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Teesha Tobias and Candace Battle and Legal Assistant Latoya Wade.  Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincent Caputy, who indicted the case, and Stephen J. Gripkey, who handled the case thereafter.

WASHINGTON - Hassain Smart, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 33 years in prison on charges stemming from sexual assaults he committed against two women in an alley in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Smart pled guilty in December 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of first-degree sexual abuse while armed, first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, robbery while armed, and kidnapping while armed.  The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison term of 27 to 33 years.  The Honorable Jennifer Anderson accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Smart will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. Smart also will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

            According to the government’s evidence, at about 1 a.m. on June 25, 2015, the two victims began to open the door to their home in the unit block of T Street NW when Smart, a stranger, approached from behind and brandished what appeared to be a black handgun.  He led both women through a dark alley into a muddy area between a fence and a vacant house under construction.  Smart raped both women in the alley while continuing to brandish the weapon.

            After the sexual assaults, Smart refused to allow the victims to leave until they surrendered their cell phones and a debit card to him.  When he finally left, the victims contacted law enforcement, and detectives from the Sexual Assault Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded and immediately began an investigation.

            An MPD patrol officer in the Seventh District spotted the defendant, who matched the description given by the victims. Smart was arrested after police found the victims’ cell phones and debit card and the weapon in his possession.  Smart then confessed to kidnapping, robbing, and sexually assaulting both women while brandishing the weapon.

            After reporting the assault to the police, the victims were transported to Washington Hospital Center for a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination (SANE), which included collection of forensic evidence.  Bode Technologies later conducted DNA testing and concluded that the major male profile found on intimate swabs from a victim’s SANE kit matched the DNA profile of the defendant.

            On April 2, 2016, while incarcerated pending sentencing, Smart attempted to escape from the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF) in Washington, D.C., but his escape attempt was thwarted by correctional officers.  During his attempt, Smart first jumped over the jail recreation yard’s inner perimeter fence.  After jumping that fence, he pulled a white bed sheet that he had hidden in his pants leg. Smart spent several minutes surveying the outer perimeter fence while holding the sheet, until he was ordered by correctional officers to drop the sheet and lay on the ground.  On May 13, 2016, Smart pled guilty to a charge of escape. He was sentenced today to six months in prison for that offense, to run consecutively to his other prison sentence.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit, the Fifth and Seventh Police Districts, and crime scene technicians.  He also expressed appreciation to Bode Technologies. He also commended those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan and Paralegal Specialists Tierra Nanches and Jason Manuel.  Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Zubrensky and Julianne Johnston, who prosecuted the case.

Defendants Used Money to Finance a Lavish Lifestyle

Florence Bikundi, 53, and her husband, Michael D. Bikundi Sr. 63, of Mitchellville, Maryland, and the owners of Global Healthcare Inc., a home care agency, were sentenced today to prison terms for health care fraud, money laundering, and other charges stemming from a scheme in which they and others defrauded the District of Columbia Medicaid program of over $80 million.

The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia; Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.; Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Ebert of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, and Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas for the District of Columbia (D.C. OIG).

The two defendants were found guilty on Nov. 12, 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  The Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell sentenced Florence Bikundi to 10 years in prison.  She sentenced Michael D. Bikundi Sr. to seven years in prison.  Following their prison terms, the Bikundis will be placed on three years of supervised release.  Judge Howell earlier ordered them to forfeit over $11 million seized from 76 bank accounts; their residence, worth approximately $1 million; $73,000 in cash seized from their residence and five luxury vehicles with a total purchase price of more than $400,000.  She also imposed a forfeiture money judgment of $39,989,956 on both defendants.  Finally, Judge Howell ordered the defendants to pay $80,620,929 in restitution to D.C. Medicaid.

“The investigation of this case exposed a massive health care fraud that cheated the District of Columbia Medicaid program of more than $80 million that could have been spent on people who needed services,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips.  “Florence and Michael Bikundi enriched themselves for years by operating a rogue home care agency.  Hopefully the sentences today will serve as a deterrent to other unscrupulous health care providers who aim to steal the taxpayers’ money.”

“The Bikundis funded their lavish lifestyle by defrauding the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program designed to provide for those in need,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “The FBI will continue to pursue criminals who target our health care system in order to protect its integrity and to prevent fraud.  I commend the dedicated agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked to bring this case to justice.”

“It’s outrageous that fraudster couple Florence and Michael Bikundi stole millions of Medicaid funds meant to provide home health services to vulnerable patients just to fuel their own lavish lifestyle,” said Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio. “But today’s prison sentences show the results of our continued work with other law enforcement agencies to crack down on greedy individuals who rip off government health care programs.”

“Health care fraud and other similar elaborate fraudulent schemes are not victimless crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Ebert.  “This type of fraud can have a significant detrimental effect on our nation’s financial infrastructure and our local community’s economy.  The Secret Service will continue to tirelessly pursue justice by investigating and dismantling these types of fraudulent schemes.”

“I hope this sentence sends a clear message that we will continue to investigate and propose prosecution for anyone who engages in corruption or fraudulent activities against the District government,” said Inspector General Lucas.  “I applaud the hard work of my D.C. OIG Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) staff for bringing this case to its rightful close.”

Florence Bikundi aka Florence Ngwe and Florence Igwacho, has been in custody since her arrest in February 2014.  She was found guilty by the jury of 12 charges: one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, two counts of health care fraud; one count of Medicaid fraud; and seven counts of money laundering.  Michael D. Bikundi Sr. was found guilty of 10 charges: one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of health care fraud; and seven counts of money laundering.

According to evidence presented at trial, Florence Bikundi, a former nurse and her husband owned Global Healthcare Inc.  According to the government’s evidence, Florence Bikundi was not entitled to take part in the Medicaid program and fraudulently got approval as a provider.  Then, the government’s evidence showed, she and her husband led a scheme to bill Medicaid for services that were not fully provided – recruiting others, including family members, into the scam and creating fraudulent paperwork to hide the illegal activity.

The D.C. Medicaid program is funded jointly by District of Columbia tax dollars and federal tax dollars.  Medicaid provides for home care services to be performed by personal care aides, working for eligible home care agencies.  Doctors or advanced practice registered nurses must examine beneficiaries and authorize them to receive these services.  The aides are to follow a plan of care and assist Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, keeping track of medication and so forth.

In 1999, Florence Bikundi went by her maiden name of Florence Igwacho.  In August 1999, the Virginia Board of Nursing revoked the nursing license of Florence Igwacho.  In March 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General notified Florence Igwacho in writing that she was excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and all federal health care programs due to the revocation.

Florence Bikundi subsequently concealed her past – namely, the Medicaid exclusion and the revocation of her nursing license - when she applied for a Medicaid provider number for Global Healthcare in June 2009 using the name of Florence Bikundi.  She also used three forged signatures on her Medicaid provider application.  Florence Bikundi married Michael Bikundi in September 2009. 

From August 2009 through February 2014, Florence and Michael Bikundi used Global HealthCare to carry out a massive fraud, the government’s evidence showed.  Year after year, the D.C. Medicaid program was billed for personal home health aide services that were not fully provided to Medicaid beneficiaries.  Phony time sheets, patient files and employment files were created.  Global Healthcare generated increasing amounts of payments as the years continued, going from roughly $1.35 million in 2009 to $14.27 million in 2011 to $27.16 million in 2013.

According to the government’s evidence, the Bikundis used the proceeds to finance a lavish lifestyle.  In just over three years, they spent $1.3 million to purchase and renovate a newly built home.  They also used the proceeds for a $140,000 Land Rover, a $120,000 Porsche, a $75,000 Mercedes Benz, a $70,000 Cadillac and a $36,000 BMW.

Seven others earlier pleaded guilty to charges in the investigation.  They include Florence Bikundi’s son, Carlson M. Igwacho, 35, of Bowie, Maryland; Florence Bikundi’s two sisters, Irene M. Igwacho, 50, of Bowie, and Berenice W. Igwacho, 31, of Bowie, James Mbide, 55, of Laurel, Maryland; Nicola C. White, 34, of Laurel; Elvis N. Atabe, 57, of Adelphia Maryland, and Melissa A. Williams, 33, of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Two others were indicted on charges in the investigation but remain fugitives: Christian S. Asongcha, 39, formerly of Lanham, Maryland, and Atawan Mundu John, 39, formerly of Washington, D.C.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge Ebert and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service, as well as a team from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General that included Director Brent Wolfingbarger; Special Agents Mike Kellam, Sandra Adams, Victor Richardson and Senior Auditor LaShawn Brooks.  They also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the District of Columbia’s Department of Health Care Finance and other agencies.

They commended the work of those who prosecuted the case, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lionel A. André, Anthony Saler and Michelle Bradford, of the Office’s Fraud and Public Corruption Section.  They acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, who assisted during the forfeiture proceedings and Criminal Investigator Nicole Hinson, also of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who was the prosecution’s law enforcement representative during the trial.

Finally, they expressed appreciation for the assistance in this case and related investigations that was provided by Chief Arvind K. Lal of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia Faruqui, Ted Radway, Michael Friedman, Chrisellen Kolb and Michelle Zamarin; Financial Analyst Bryan J. Snitselaar; Deputy U.S. Marshal Wayne Rollock of the U.S. Marshals Service; Paralegal Specialists Toni Donato, Donna Galindo, Krishawn Graham, Tasha Harris,  Corinne Kleinman and Kristy Penny; Legal Assistants Angela Lawrence, Jessica McCormick and Christopher Samson; Litigation Support Specialist Ron Royal, and former Forensic Accountant Maria Boodoo.

            WASHINGTON –Florence Bikundi and her husband, Michael D. Bikundi, Sr., the owners of Global Healthcare, Inc., a home care agency, were sentenced today to prison terms for health care fraud, money laundering, and other charges stemming from a scheme in which they and others defrauded the District of Columbia Medicaid program of over $80 million.

            The sentences were announced by Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; 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.; Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia (D.C. OIG).

            The two defendants, of Mitchellville, Md., were found guilty on Nov. 12, 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell sentenced Florence Bikundi to 10 years in prison. She sentenced Michael D. Bikundi, Sr. to seven years in prison. Following their prison terms, the Bikundis will be placed on three years of supervised release. Judge Howell earlier ordered them to forfeit over $11 million seized from 76 bank accounts; their residence, worth approximately $1 million; $73,000 in cash seized from their residence, and five luxury vehicles with a total purchase price of more than $400,000.  She also imposed a forfeiture money judgment of $39,989,956 on both defendants. Finally, Judge Howell ordered the defendants to pay $80,620,929 in restitution to D.C. Medicaid.

            “The investigation of this case exposed a massive health care fraud that cheated the District of Columbia Medicaid program of more than $80 million that could have been spent on people who needed services,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Florence and Michael Bikundi enriched themselves for years by operating a rogue home care agency. Hopefully the sentences today will serve as a deterrent to other unscrupulous health care providers who aim to steal the taxpayers’ money.”

            “The Bikundis funded their lavish lifestyle by defrauding the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program designed to provide for those in need,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  “The FBI will continue to pursue criminals who target our health care system in order to protect its integrity and to prevent fraud. I commend the dedicated agents, analysts, and prosecutors who worked to bring this case to justice.”

            “It’s outrageous that fraudster couple Florence and Michael Bikundi stole millions of Medicaid funds meant to provide home health services to vulnerable patients just to fuel their own lavish lifestyle,” said Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio of the HHS Office of Inspector General. “But today’s prison sentences show the results of our continued work with other law enforcement agencies to crack down on greedy individuals who rip off government health care programs.”

            “Health care fraud and other similar elaborate fraudulent schemes are not victimless crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Ebert of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office.  “This type of fraud can have a significant detrimental effect on our nation’s financial infrastructure and our local community’s economy. The Secret Service will continue to tirelessly pursue justice by investigating and dismantling these types of fraudulent schemes.”

            “I hope this sentence sends a clear message that we will continue to investigate and propose prosecution for anyone who engages in corruption or fraudulent activities against the District government,” said Inspector General Lucas. “I applaud the hard work of my D.C.  OIG Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) staff for bringing this case to its rightful close.”

**

            Florence Bikundi, 53, also known as Florence Ngwe and Florence Igwacho, has been in custody since her arrest in February 2014. She was found guilty by the jury of 12 charges: one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, two counts of health care fraud; one count of Medicaid fraud; and seven counts of money laundering. Michael D. Bikundi, Sr., 63, was found guilty of 10 charges: one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of health care fraud; and seven counts of money laundering.

            According to evidence presented at trial, Florence Bikundi, a former nurse, and her husband owned Global Healthcare, Inc. According to the government’s evidence, Florence Bikundi was not entitled to take part in the Medicaid program and fraudulently got approval as a provider. Then, the government’s evidence showed, she and her husband led a scheme to bill Medicaid for services that were not fully provided – recruiting others, including family members, into the scam, and creating fraudulent paperwork to hide the illegal activity.

            The D.C. Medicaid program is funded jointly by District of Columbia tax dollars and federal tax dollars. Medicaid provides for home care services to be performed by personal care aides, working for eligible home care agencies. Doctors or advanced practice registered nurses must examine beneficiaries and authorize them to receive these services. The aides are to follow a plan of care and assist Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, keeping track of medication, and so forth.

            In 1999, Florence Bikundi went by her maiden name of Florence Igwacho.  In August 1999, the Virginia Board of Nursing revoked the nursing license of Florence Igwacho.  In March 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General notified Florence Igwacho in writing that she was excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and all federal health care programs due to the revocation.

            Florence Bikundi subsequently concealed her past – namely, the Medicaid exclusion and the revocation of her nursing license - when she applied for a Medicaid provider number for Global Healthcare in June 2009 using the name of Florence Bikundi.  She also used three forged signatures on her Medicaid provider application.  Florence Bikundi married Michael Bikundi in September 2009.

            From August 2009 through February 2014, Florence and Michael Bikundi used Global HealthCare to carry out a massive fraud, the government’s evidence showed. Year after year, the D.C. Medicaid program was billed for personal home health aide services that were not fully provided to Medicaid beneficiaries. Phony time sheets, patient files and employment files were created. Global Healthcare generated increasing amounts of payments as the years continued, going from roughly $1.35 million in 2009 to $14.27 million in 2011 to $27.16 million in 2013.

            According to the government’s evidence, the Bikundis used the proceeds to finance a lavish lifestyle. In just over three years, they spent $1.3 million to purchase and renovate a newly built home. They also used the proceeds for a $140,000 Land Rover, a $120,000 Porsche, a $75,000 Mercedes Benz, a $70,000 Cadillac and a $36,000 BMW.

            Seven others earlier pled guilty to charges in the investigation. They include Florence Bikundi’s son, Carlson M. Igwacho, 35, of Bowie, Md.; Florence Bikundi’s two sisters, Irene M. Igwacho, 50, of Bowie, Md., and Berenice W. Igwacho, 31, of Bowie, Md.; James Mbide, 55, of Laurel, Md; Nicola C. White, 34, of Laurel, Md.; Elvis N. Atabe, 57, of Adelphia Md., and Melissa A. Williams, 33, of Silver Spring, Md.

            Two others were indicted on charges in the investigation but remain fugitives: Christian S. Asongcha, 39, formerly of Lanham, Md., and Atawan Mundu John, 39, formerly of Washington, DC.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge Ebert, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Secret Service, as well as a team from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General that included Director Brent Wolfingbarger; Special Agents Mike Kellam, Sandra Adams, Victor Richardson, and Senior Auditor LaShawn Brooks. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the District of Columbia’s Department of Health Care Finance and other agencies.

            They commended the work of those who prosecuted the case, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lionel A. André, Anthony Saler, and Michelle Bradford, of the Office’s Fraud and Public Corruption Section. They acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, who assisted during the forfeiture proceedings, and Criminal Investigator Nicole Hinson, also of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who was the prosecution’s law enforcement representative during the trial.

            Finally, they expressed appreciation for the assistance in this case and related investigations that was provided by Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia Faruqui, Ted Radway, Michael Friedman, Chrisellen Kolb, and Michelle Zamarin; Financial Analyst Bryan J. Snitselaar; Deputy U.S. Marshal Wayne Rollock of the U.S. Marshals Service; Paralegal Specialists Toni Donato, Donna Galindo, Krishawn Graham, Tasha Harris,  Corinne Kleinman, and Kristy Penny; Legal Assistants Angela Lawrence, Jessica McCormick, and Christopher Samson; Litigation Support Specialist Ron Royal, and former Forensic Accountant Maria Boodoo.

WASHINGTON – Mustapha Kone, 48, who has no fixed address, was sentenced today to seven years in prison on kidnapping and other charges stemming from separate attacks against two young women near the Foggy Bottom Metro station in the fall of 2014, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

            Kone pled guilty in March 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of kidnapping, threats, and assault. He was sentenced by the Honorable Florence Pan. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 19, 2014, at about 3:30 a.m., one of the victims was sitting on a bench in the above-ground plaza near the Foggy Bottom Metro station, in the 2300 block of I Street NW.  The defendant – a total stranger – approached the woman and told her that he wanted her to come with him into the nearby bushes as he had something that he wanted to show her. When she declined, Kone grabbed her and tried to pull her into the bushes.  She resisted, and Kone told her that if she tried to leave, he would kill her.  She began to scream, and Kone let go of her.  She then ran to her nearby residence and called 911 to report the assault.

            Meanwhile, Kone walked further west in that same plaza, where he encountered the second victim, another total stranger.  He walked up to her and told her that he wanted to have sex with her.  He then knocked the woman to the ground and got on top of her.  Unable to get away, she began to scream. A group of nearby Good Samaritans then came to her aid, yelling at Kone to get off of her.  He did, and began to flee down New Hampshire Avenue, toward the Watergate complex.  Two of the Good Samaritans gave chase, calling 911 as they pursued him.

            Kone ran behind a bush or tree in front of one of the nearby apartment buildings.  The two Good Samaritans stood watch, urging the 911 operator to get the police to their location quickly before Kone could flee again.  While those two young men remained, keeping an eye on Kone, campus police from George Washington University arrived and arrested the defendant.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of police from the George Washington University, who initially apprehended the defendant, and of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit, which investigated the case.  He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, he commended the bravery and willingness to become involved of the Good Samaritans who came to the aid of the victims.

            U.S. Attorney Phillips also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Kennedy and Mark Aziz, Paralegal Specialists Michelle Chambers and D’Yvonne Key, and David Foster, Tracey Hawkins, La June Thames, and Katina Adams-Washington of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON – Jason A. Razo, 39, a former background investigator who did work under contract for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), was sentenced today to two months of incarceration, to be followed by four months of home detention, on a charge stemming from his falsification of work on background investigations of federal employees and contractors, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the Office of Personnel Management.

           Razo, of Van Nuys, Calif., pled guilty in February 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to making a false statement. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Gladys Kessler. Following his prison term, Razo will be placed on three years of supervised release, during which he will serve the four months of home detention. Also, Razo has agreed to pay $85,779 in restitution to the federal government.

            According to a statement of offense submitted to the Court, Razo was employed by KeyPoint Government Solutions as an investigator under contract to conduct background investigations on behalf of OPM’s Federal Investigative Services.

            Between October 2010 and July 2011, in approximately 50 Reports of Investigations on background investigations, Razo represented that he had interviewed a source or reviewed a record­ regarding the subject of the background investigation. In fact, he had not conducted the interviews or obtained the records of interest. These reports were utilized and relied upon by the agencies requesting the background investigations to determine whether the subjects were suitable for positions having access to classified information, for positions impacting national security, for receiving or retaining security clearances, or for positions of public trust.

            Razo’s false representations have required Federal Investigative Services to reopen and rework numerous background investigations that were assigned to him during the time period of his falsifications, at an estimated cost of at least $85,779 to the U.S. government.

            Federal Investigative Services has a robust integrity assurance program which utilizes a variety of methods to ensure the accuracy of reported information.  The falsification of investigative case work by the defendant was detected through the program.

            This is one of numerous cases prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia since 2008 involving false representations by background investigators and record checkers working on federal background investigations. In addition to Razo, 21 other background investigators and two record checkers have been convicted of charges.

            Federal Investigative Services, through its workforce of approximately 6,000, including 5,200 field investigators, is responsible for conducting background investigations for numerous federal agencies and their contractors, on individuals either employed by or seeking employment with those agencies or contractors. Federal Investigative Services conducted more than 2.4 million investigations during the 2015 fiscal year. More than 600,000 of these investigations involved applicants for access or continued access to classified information.

            In performing background investigations, the investigators conduct interviews of individuals who have information about the person who is the subject of the review. In addition, the investigators seek out, obtain, and review documentary evidence, such as employment records, to verify and corroborate information provided by either the subject of the background investigation or by persons interviewed during the investigation.  After conducting interviews and obtaining documentary evidence, the investigators prepare a Report of Investigation containing the results of the interviews and document reviews, and electronically submit the material to OPM in Washington, D.C. OPM then provides a copy of the investigative file to the requesting agency, which can use the information to determine an individual’s eligibility for employment or a security clearance.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting Inspector General Vint praised the efforts of Special Agent Christopher Sulhoff, OPM, Office of the Inspector General, and Philip Kroop, Kevin Cassidy, and Jeffrey Addicks, OPM, Federal Investigative Services. They also acknowledged the work of Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo and Julie Dailey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein, who investigated and prosecuted this matter.

WASHINGTON – Francis Davis, 69, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for robbing a bank last year in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Davis pled guilty in February 2016 to a charge of bank robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Upon completion of his prison term, Davis will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Monday, Nov. 9, 2015, at approximately 9:15 a.m., Davis entered the rear door of the SunTrust Bank in the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Once inside, he walked to a teller station. Davis then passed the bank teller a note which demanded money.  The teller read the note and paused in disbelief. At that time, Davis stated, “Quit stalling … Somebody is gonna’ get hurt.”

            The teller opened the cash drawer and passed $1,589 to the defendant. Davis stated, “That’s good,” and then walked swiftly out the door. Law enforcement officers submitted images taken from the bank’s surveillance video to the law enforcement community.  The defendant was subsequently identified from several surveillance video photos from the robbery. He was arrested on Dec. 11, 2015 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Chief Lanier commended the actions of the FBI and Metropolitan Police Department officers who worked to solve this case.  They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, they commended efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A 43-year-old man, formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison on a charge of assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse of his 13-year-old stepdaughter, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in March 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a seven-year prison sentence. The Honorable Michael Ryan accepted the plea today and sentenced the man accordingly. Following completion of his prison term, the man will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            According to the government’s evidence, sometime between May and October of 2015, the victim and her younger sibling would spend weekends at the defendant’s home in Northwest Washington. On one occasion during that time-frame, the defendant told the victim to remove all of her clothes.  At that time, he had a belt in his hand and threatened to beat the girl if she did not comply.  Out of fear, she complied, whereupon the man sexually assaulted her. The man was arrested on Feb. 6, 2016, after the abuse came to light, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigations Division, which investigated the case; and of personnel from Safe Shores, who forensically interviewed the victim and her younger sibling. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key; Child Forensic Interview Specialist Karen Giannakoulias, and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Brooks and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

UPDATE

             The defendants in this case were acquitted of the charge on Feb. 2, 2018, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            WASHINGTON – Two Special Police Officers were indicted today on a charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the death last fall of James McBride, a 74-year-old patient at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Clifton Montgomery, 30, of Bladensburg, Md., and Charles Brown, 43, of Fort Washington, Md., were indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. They will be arraigned on a date to be scheduled by the Court. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison.

            The indictment followed an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department into the death of Mr. McBride, who walked out of the hospital on Irving Street NW at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2015, without being discharged. Mr. McBride ultimately had a fatal encounter with Special Police Officers Montgomery and Brown at about 5 p.m. outside of the hospital.

             Mr. McBride died on Oct. 1, 2015. The District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was blunt force injuries of the neck with cervical spinal cord transection and vertebral artery compression.

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

            In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Lanier commended the work of those who are investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner. They acknowledged the work of those handling the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Jean Sexton, Paralegal Specialist Kristy Penny, Legal Assistant Kaitlyn Krueger and Christopher Toms, and Victim/Witness Advocates Yvonne Bryant and Tracey Hawkins. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Bridgette Tillman and S. Vinét Bryant, who are prosecuting the matter.

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.  The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.

Five Others Have Been Extradited in This Matter

Two Mexican nationals have been extradited from Mexico to face charges for their alleged participation in the murder 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.

The charges and extraditions were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Assistant Director Stephen E. Richardson of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division and Director Sarah R. Saldaña of ICE.

Jesus Ivan Quezada Piña, aka Loco, 28, and Alfredo Gaston Mendoza Hernandez, aka Camaron, aka Burger, 33, both of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, were charged on May 16, 2013, in a four-count indictment with 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, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death.  The indictment was unsealed today when Quezada Piña and Mendoza Hernandez made their initial appearances before Senior U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the District of Columbia.  Quezada Piña and Mendoza Hernandez were ordered detained without bail. 

Four defendants—Julian Zapata Espinoza, aka Piolin, 35; Ruben Dario Venegas Rivera, aka Catracho, 28; Jose Ismael Nava Villagran, aka Cacho, 33; and Francisco Carbajal Flores, aka Dalmata, 41—previously pleaded guilty to offenses based on their roles in the murder and attempted murder of the ICE agents.  As part of their guilty pleas, Espinoza, Rivera and Villagran admitted that they participated directly in the Feb. 15, 2011, ambush of the two special agents as part of a Los Zetas hit squad.  The fourth defendant, Flores, acknowledged assisting Zetas members after the attack.  A fifth defendant, Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, aka Juan Manuel Maldonado Amezcua, aka Safado, 35, was extradited to the United States on Oct. 1, 2015, for his participation in this attack and is currently awaiting trial.

The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI is investigating the case with substantial assistance from ICE, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Marshals Service.  The investigation was also coordinated with the assistance of the Government of Mexico.

The Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. 

WASHINGTON – Two Mexican nationals have been extradited from Mexico to face charges for their alleged participation in the murder 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.

            The charges and extraditions were announced today by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Stephen E. Richardson of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Director Sarah R. Saldaña of ICE.

            Jesus Ivan Quezada Piña, aka Loco, 28, and Alfredo Gaston Mendoza Hernandez, aka Camaron, aka Burger, 33, both of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, were  charged on May 16, 2013, in a four-count indictment with one count of murder of an officer or employee of the United States; one count of attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States; one count of attempted murder of an internationally protected person; and one count of using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death.  The indictment was unsealed today when Quezada Piña and Mendoza Hernandez made their initial appearance before Senior U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the District of Columbia. Quezada Piña and Mendoza Hernandez were ordered detained without bail pending further court proceedings.

            “These extraditions reflect the continued determination of law enforcement to prosecute all who took part in the ambush of two federal agents,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Together with our law enforcement partners in the United States and in Mexico, we are committed to holding those responsible for the murder of Agent Zapata and the wounding of Agent Avila accountable for this brazen attack.”

            “With the extradition of these two individuals from Mexico, a total of seven people have been charged for their role in the murder of ICE Special Agent Zapata and attempted murder of Special Agent Victor Avila," said Assistant Director Richardson. "An attack against any federal agent serving his or her country remains a priority for the FBI until all responsible individuals are brought to justice."

            “Today is another step toward justice,” said ICE Director Saldaña. “The brutal attack on Special Agents Zapata and Avila and the murder of Agent Zapata will not go unanswered. The ICE family is deeply grateful to the Government of Mexico, the Department of Justice, and all of our other partners engaged in the relentless pursuit of the perpetrators of this heartless attack.”

            Four defendants previously pleaded guilty to offenses based on their roles in the murder and attempted murder of the ICE agents.  Julian Zapata Espinoza, aka Piolin, 35, pleaded guilty on May 23, 2013, to the murder of Special Agent Zapata and the attempted murder of Special Agent Avila.  Ruben Dario Venegas Rivera, aka Catracho, 28, pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2011, to federal charges concerning the murder of Special Agent Zapata and attempted murder of Special Agent Avila.  Jose Ismael Nava Villagran, aka Cacho, 33, pleaded guilty on Jan. 4, 2012, also to federal charges concerning the murder and attempted murder of the ICE agents.  Francisco Carbajal Flores, aka Dalmata, 41, pleaded guilty on Jan. 10, 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.

            As part of their guilty pleas, Espinoza, Rivera and Villagran admitted to being members of a Los Zetas hit squad and to participating directly in the Feb. 15, 2011, ambush of the two special agents.  The fourth defendant, Flores, acknowledged assisting Zetas members after the attack. A fifth defendant, Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, aka Juan Manuel Maldonado Amezcua, aka Safado, 35, was extradited to the United States on Oct. 1, 2015, for his participation in this attack and is currently awaiting trial.

            An indictment is a formal charging document and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

            The case is being 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 investigation was also coordinated with the assistance of the Government of Mexico. The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs has provided substantial assistance.

WASHINGTON – Jasper Spires, 19, of Washington, D.C., has been indicted on murder and other charges stemming from the July 4, 2015 slaying of Kevin Sutherland on a Metrorail train, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today. Spires also was indicted on charges involving the robberies of two other passengers and an assault of a fourth victim on the train.

            Spires was indicted on May 10, 2016 by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated and felony murder), with aggravating circumstances; assault with a dangerous weapon; armed robbery of a senior citizen; armed robbery, and carrying a weapon outside a home or business.

            Spires is to be arraigned on May 13, 2016 at a hearing before the Honorable Robert E. Morin. He faces a maximum of life in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 4, 2015, at about 12:50 p.m., Spires was among people on a Metrorail train approaching the NOMA/Gallaudet University station, in the 200 block of Florida Avenue NE. While on the train, Spires is accused of attempting to rob Mr. Sutherland, 24, and repeatedly and fatally stabbing him. He also is charged with robbing two others on the train, including a senior citizen, and assaulting a fourth passenger.

            Following the attacks, Spires allegedly walked off the train and left the station. He was arrested on July 6, 2015 and has been in custody ever since.

            At the time of the alleged offenses, Spires was on release in a pending assault case in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

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

            In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Metro Transit Police. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and Bode Cellmark Forensics. He acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigators Durand Odom and Mark Crawford; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Paralegal Specialists Karen Hansen and Kelly Blakeney, and former Paralegal Specialist Vanessa Trent-Valentine. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey and Kathryn Rakoczy, who are investigating and prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Vernon Hawkins, who worked on an off-the-books get-out-the-vote effort preceding the 2010 District of Columbia mayoral primary, was sentenced today to six months of incarceration after earlier pleading guilty to making a false statement to federal authorities who were investigating allegations involving his candidate’s campaign.

     The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

     Hawkins, 77, was a volunteer advisor for the mayoral candidate. He pled guilty on Aug. 13, 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In his plea, he admitted that he took part in a secret effort that channeled funding to his candidate. He also admitted that he later helped provide a potential witness with approximately $8,000 so that the witness would travel and stay out of town so that he would not be available to meet with federal agents investigating the campaign. Also, Hawkins admitted that, during a subsequent interview with the FBI, he stated that he did not know of anyone being asked or told to go out of town, that he never asked anyone to leave town so that they could not meet with investigators, and that he did not help or assist with sending anyone out of town so they would not be able to speak with federal agents in this investigation. He made these false statements in an attempt to influence the federal investigation.

     He was sentenced by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. Following his incarceration,  Hawkins will be placed on one year of supervised release.

     Hawkins is among 13 people who pled guilty to charges in a broader  investigation related to federal and local political campaigns, which uncovered evidence of over $3.3 million in illegal contributions to various campaigns between 2006 and 2011. He is among six defendants who pled guilty to offenses directly involving or connected to the 2010 District of Columbia mayoral election, which accounted for $668,800 of the illegal contributions.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate and Special Agent in Charge Jankowski commended the work of those who investigated the case for the FBI and IRS-CI. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein, Criminal Investigators Mark Crawford and Melissa Matthews, and Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris and Corinne Kleinman. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael K. Atkinson and Jonathan P. Hooks, who represented the government at sentencing.

            WASHINGTON –Vernita M. Greenfield, a former customer services representative for the District of Columbia’s Department of Public Works, pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from a scheme in which she accepted more than $35,000 in bribes in return for giving favorable treatment to a towing company.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Greenfield, 56, of Washington, D.C., was arrested by the FBI at her office on Nov. 23, 2015. She pled guilty 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, Greenfield faces a likely range of 24 to 30 months in prison and a fine of $10,000 to $95,000. She also is subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $35,300. The Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2016.

            “This government employee took advantage of her position for her own financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The prosecution of this case reflects our commitment to rooting out corruption whenever it exists, as it is imperative for citizens to have faith in their government.”

            “Ms. Greenfield admitted in federal court today to unfairly steering towing contracts in exchange for monetary bribes.  Through her actions, she violated the public’s trust for her own personal gain,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate. “The FBI will continue to investigate and fight public corruption at all levels of government, including unfair, preferential treatment at the expense of honest American businesses.”

            “I would like to recognize the efforts of the D.C. OIG Investigations Unit in conducting this investigation that has ultimately brought Ms. Greenfield to justice,” said Inspector General Lucas. “This investigation is just one example of how the D.C. OIG, along with our oversight partners, continue to combat corruption, fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement within the District, and aggressively pursue prosecution and/or administrative action when and where warranted.”

            According to a statement of offense submitted in the plea proceedings, Greenfield worked in the Parking Enforcement Management Administration, a branch of the Department of Public Works. The branch is responsible for the removal of abandoned and dangerous vehicles, as well as ticketing, towing, booting, and impoundment of vehicles that are in violation of District of Columbia parking regulations. The branch also tows vehicles that pose a danger to the police or that impede the flow of traffic, particularly after vehicle accidents.

            The branch uses a computer-aided dispatch system in which customer services representatives communicate with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) when police determine vehicles need to be towed. However, the Department of Public Works did not have enough tow trucks in its fleet to meet demand. The Department of Public Works subcontracted towing services from a list of approximately 22 authorized tow truck companies to assist with vehicle removals. Customer Services representatives were required to rotate assignments so that all towing services were fairly distributed in an equitable manner.

            In her guilty plea, Greenfield admitted disregarding the rotational towing assignment system to send extra business to a towing company that was among the 22 on the list. According to the statement of offense, on or about July 1, 2011, Greenfield and the owner of the towing company came to an agreement that the owner would deposit between $200 and $500 per week into Greenfield’s bank account. In exchange, she agreed to divert towing assignments from other companies on the rotational list, thereby increasing his company’s weekly towing assignments and profits. She provided the towing company owner with her bank account information.

            From July 2011 through May 2013, according to the statement of offense, the towing company’s owner provided Greenfield with more than 60 such payments, totaling $35,300. During this time period, Greenfield diverted over 450 towing assignments to the company to which it was not entitled, depriving other companies of this valuable business.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for those who investigated the case from the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General, including Special Agent Ray Malengo. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mervin A. Bourne, Jr. and Lionel André, who are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – James Powers, 59, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today for violating the Clean Air Act and for fraud stemming from a scheme to improperly remove asbestos from a historic building in the District of Columbia.

            The seven-count indictment, returned by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Jennifer Lynn, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criminal enforcement program in the Mid-Atlantic States.  It charges Powers with violations of the Clean Air Act, wire fraud and first-degree fraud, which is a District of Columbia offense.  The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds that can be traced to the fraud scheme. An arraignment date has not yet been set.

            According to the indictment, asbestos, a once-popular fireproofing insulation, is now known to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma in people who inhale the fibers released when asbestos is disturbed.  Congress has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.  The Clean Air Act requires that renovation in asbestos-containing properties follow specific protocols designed to safely remove asbestos from the property prior to any renovation or demolition activity, so as not to expose workers to the risk of deadly respiratory diseases.

            “This businessman is accused of endangering his own work crew by not taking the proper steps to renovate a building containing asbestos,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The indictment in this case reflects our determination to enforce the federal Clean Air Act and other laws that protect the health and safety of workers and citizens in the District of Columbia.”

            “The Clean Air Act asbestos standards exist to protect the public, especially demolition and renovation workers, from harmful and potentially fatal exposure to asbestos,” said Assistant Attorney General Cruden.  “The Justice Department and the EPA will fully investigate and prosecute those individuals who skirt the law and put workers in danger.”

            “Asbestos must be removed and disposed of safely and legally,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lynn.  “The federal Clean Air Act helps protect not only workers’ health and safety, but that of the entire community.  Today’s charges demonstrate that EPA and its partner agencies are committed to enforcing important environmental and public health protection laws.”

            The development project at issue involved renovating the historic Friendship House, located at 619 D Street SE in Washington, D.C., into condominiums, a development known as the Maples. The indictment alleges that, in March 2010, Powers formed a partnership with a local real estate development firm to purchase and renovate the property. According to the indictment, an asbestos survey of the property documented asbestos throughout the property, including in floor tiles, wall board, and pipe insulation. After the survey, the partnership received bids from licensed professional asbestos abatement and renovation firms in the area.

            The indictment alleges that, despite receiving those bids and despite knowing that the building contained asbestos, Powers hired Larry Miller, 58, of Palmetto, Georgia, a general contractor from Atlanta with no training, certification, or experience in asbestos abatement, to conduct interior demolition and renovation of the building. Powers represented to his partners that a qualified entity would conduct appropriate asbestos abatement at the property and emailed them a proposed contract, but the contract was with a corporation that, unbeknownst to his partners, was an alter-ego for Powers.

            The indictment further alleges that Miller and his crew of workers conducted interior demolition at the Maples during September and October 2011, without any asbestos abatement having occurred. Even after an inspection by local environmental authorities revealed asbestos in the building, Powers had the workers continue demolition. Over the course of the project, the workers disturbed substantial quantities of asbestos, exposing themselves to a substantial risk of serious illness later in life.

            Miller pleaded guilty on Nov. 19, 2015, to one count of negligent endangerment under the Clean Air Act. He is awaiting sentencing by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a maximum sentence of not more than one year of imprisonment, a fine of up to $100,000, and a term of supervised release and/or probation.

            If convicted, Powers faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss to victims under the Clean Air Act, and a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss to victims under the wire fraud statute.

            After the acts described in this indictment, a licensed asbestos abatement firm conducted abatement at the Maples.  The District of Columbia Department of the Environment subsequently conducted inspections and found the property to be free of all asbestos-containing materials.

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

            In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Attorney General Cruden, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Lynn expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents from EPA and the Department of Transportation. They also acknowledged the efforts of Trial Attorney Cassandra J. Barnum, Senior Trial Attorney Lana Pettus, and Paralegal Specialist Cynthia Longmire of the Environmental Crimes Section, and those working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kaitlyn Krueger, John Lowell, and former Paralegal Specialist Krishawn Graham, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hooks and Zia Faruqui.

WASHINGTON – Wesley Breeden, 30, of Springfield, Va., was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Breeden pled guilty to the charge in February 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Upon completion of his prison term, Breeden will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years.

            According to the government's evidence, on July 30, 2015, Breeden contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. Over the next several days, Breeden engaged in e-mail and text-messaging conversations with the undercover officer. During the course of these conversations, Breeden arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with a female who was a minor. On Aug. 4, 2015, Breeden traveled from Virginia to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C.  When he arrived, he was arrested. He has been in custody ever since.

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

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Chief Lanier commended the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A resident of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced today to four years in prison after pleading guilty in January for his involvement in a far-reaching identity theft and tax fraud scheme in which he assisted in the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns seeking more than $4.4 million in refunds, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

            Marc A. Bell, 49, a former employee of the District of Columbia’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), admitted taking part in a massive and sophisticated identity theft and false tax return scheme that involved an extensive network of more than 130 people, many of whom were receiving public assistance.  According to court documents, the scheme involved the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns that sought refunds of at least $42 million from the U.S. Treasury.  The false tax returns sought refunds for tax years 2005 through 2013 and were often filed in the names of people whose identities had been stolen, including the elderly, people in assisted living facilities, drug addicts and incarcerated individuals.  Refunds also were sent to people who were willing participants in the scheme.  The refunds listed more than 400 “taxpayer” addresses located in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

            According to documents filed with the court, from 2005 to 2013, Bell was employed as a program manager, program officer or placement expeditor at the District of Columbia’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS).  The agency is responsible for the supervision, custody and care of young people charged with a delinquent act in the District of Columbia and either detained in a DYRS facility while awaiting adjudication or committed to DYRS by a District of Columbia Family Court judge following adjudication.  In his various capacities at DYRS, Bell had access to the agency’s database system, which contained the personal identifying information of DYRS youth, including their names and social security numbers.  Bell admitted that between approximately May 2010 and April 2013, he used his computer access to obtain the personal identifying information of at least 645 then-current and former DYRS youth.  Bell admitted that he provided this information to other scheme participants, who used the names and social security numbers to file at least 1,160 fraudulent federal income tax returns that claimed refunds of approximately $4,441,194.  The IRS issued approximately 700 U.S. Treasury checks, totaling approximately $2,422,211, in the names of the DYRS youth in whose names the tax returns were filed.  Bell received financial compensation from co-conspirators for providing the stolen identities.

            Bell is one of approximately 20 participants in this scheme who have pleaded guilty to federal charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  Bell pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims, one count of aiding and abetting in the filing of fictitious or false claims and one count aiding and abetting fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents.  In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle ordered Bell to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $1,972,710.  

            This morning, Lakisha Jackson, 40, of District Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public money for her role in the scheme.  As part of her plea, she admitted that between September 2010 and May 2012 she allowed her residential address to be used to file approximately 70 fraudulent federal income tax returns seeking refunds of approximately $229,199 and to receive 61 fraudulently-procured U.S. Treasury checks totaling approximately $193,977.  Jackson faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  She has agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $175,953.  Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2016.

            U.S. Attorney Phillips, Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo, Special Agent in Charge Jankowski, Inspector in Charge Kelokates and Assistant Inspector General Phillips commended those who investigated the case.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Schornstein, Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo, Corinne Kleinman and Julie Dailey and Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence.  Finally, they thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein of the District of Columbia’s Fraud and Public Corruption Section and Trial Attorneys Jeffrey B. Bender and Thomas F. Koelbl and former Trial Attorney Jessica Moran of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Christopher Tyler, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 77-month prison term on federal charges stemming from two robberies of grocery stores, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Tyler pled guilty in March 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 25, 2014, at approximately 10:50 p.m., Tyler entered a Safeway store in the 1600 block of Maryland Avenue NE. He was wearing a mask and was armed with what appeared to be a black handgun. Tyler pointed the weapon at store employees and demanded that they “open the money room.”  A cashier indicated that she did not have a key to the room.  Tyler then used a newspaper rack to climb over a wall into the room where the store’s safe was located.  He then robbed the store of money that had been received through that evening’s sales. He fled and was not apprehended that night.

            On July 30, 2014, at approximately 10:50 p.m., Tyler entered another Safeway store, this time in the 1100 block of Fourth Street SW. He again was armed with what appeared to be a black handgun and again was wearing a mask.  Tyler forced a store employee to open the room where another employee was counting the night’s proceeds and putting the money into the store’s safe.  He demanded that an employee fill a bag with money.

            Tyler then fled the store with approximately $15,000 in cash. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), responding to a 911 call for a robbery, arrived just as Tyler was running from the store.  Officers stopped him after a brief foot chase.  The officers recovered a black pellet gun that strongly resembles a semi-automatic handgun from the defendant.  The officers also recovered the money that he dropped while attempting to escape. Tyler has been in custody since his arrest.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the officers, detectives, and others who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  He also praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jin Park, Thomas Swanton, and Nihar Mohanty.

WASHINGTON – Ernest L. Williams, 65, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years of incarceration for sexually assaulting a homeless woman in a Northwest Washington alley, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Williams was found guilty in February 2016 of assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse, following a trial before the Honorable Milton C. Lee in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Lee sentenced Williams to a total of 15 years in prison, but suspended all but six years on the condition that he successfully complete five years of supervised probation. Williams also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            According to the government’s evidence, Williams and the victim were both homeless and staying at a park on North Capitol Street. On Oct. 10, 2014, both had been drinking during the day and the victim became hungry. That night, Williams offered to go with her to a local carry-out to get some food. However, on the walk, he made an excuse to cut through an alley off the unit block of Florida Avenue NW. Once in the alley, he pinned her against a fence and started sexually assaulting her.  She screamed “help” and rape” repeatedly and tried to fight back, but he overpowered her. He hit her in the face, sexually assaulted her on the ground.

            A woman in a nearby house heard the screams and called the police.  When officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived, Williams was on top of the victim. He was arrested and 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 also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Cook; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence; Criminal Investigators Mark Fitzgerald, Mark Crawford and Melissa Matthews; Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; Paralegal Specialist Tierra Nanches; Information Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, and Legal Intern Sontanna Cremins.   Finally he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Miranda, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON –The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will highlight the issues facing citizens returning to the community after periods of incarceration in a series of events as part of National Reentry Week, including a town hall scheduled for tonight at the Central Union Mission, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            U.S. Attorney Phillips will be joined at this evening’s program by Acting Associate Attorney General Bill Baer and Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason. They will speak about efforts by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to support those returning to the nation’s communities after serving time in federal and state prisons.

            The Obama Administration has taken major steps to make the criminal justice system fairer, more efficient and more effective at reducing recidivism and helping formerly incarcerated individuals contribute to their communities. Removing barriers to successful reentry helps formerly incarcerated individuals compete for jobs, attain stable housing, and support their families. An important part of that commitment is preparing those who have paid their debt to society for substantive opportunities beyond the prison gates, and addressing collateral consequences to successful reentry that too many returning citizens encounter.

            Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and other top officials are making appearances throughout the nation to promote the “Roadmap to Reentry,” the Justice Department’s comprehensive vision to reduce recidivism through reentry reforms at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Each year, more than 600,000 citizens return to communities after serving time in federal and state prisons. Another 11.4 million people cycle through local jails.

            “We have to do more to stop the cycle of crime and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips.  “One critical factor in stopping this cycle is to address the serious issues and hurdles that former offenders face when they reenter our communities.  We as a community must do all we can to enhance the prospects of our returning citizens to live productive and healthy lives.”

            “Too often, justice-involved individuals who have paid their debt to society confront daunting obstacles to good jobs, decent housing, adequate health care, quality education, and even the right to vote,” said Attorney General Lynch.  “National Reentry Week highlights the many ways that the Department of Justice – and the entire Obama Administration – is working to tear down the barriers that stand between returning citizens and a meaningful second chance – leading to brighter futures, stronger communities, and a more just and equal nation for all.”

            In addition to the town hall this evening, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will highlight reentry issues this afternoon in a discussion with a girls’ mentoring group. Assistant Attorney General Mason, of the Office of Justice Programs, is scheduled to attend the program.

            The town hall is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. today at the Central Union Mission, 65 Massachusetts Avenue NW. In addition to U.S. Attorney Phillips and the Justice Department officials, representatives from the Neighborhood Legal Services Program of the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens will be on hand to speak about their efforts to support returning citizens.  Participants will have an opportunity to express concerns and ask the speakers questions.

            Finally, a roundtable discussion is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Mickey Leland Transitional Housing Facility in Northwest Washington. U.S. Attorney Phillips is expected to be joined by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division and other officials in a presentation that will cover the barriers returning citizens face in obtaining employment and ways to overcome these obstacles.

            NOTE:  The event tonight at the Central Union Mission is open to the press. It will take place at 65 Massachusetts Avenue NW. All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) as well as valid media credentials.  Media check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. EDT.  Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Bill Miller at 202-252-6643.

WASHINGTON – Bianca Bush-Bronson, 37, the former office manager for a consulting and lobbying firm, pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from a scheme in which she embezzled more than $300,000 from her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Bush-Bronson, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to a charge of wire fraud 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, Bush-Bronson faces a likely range of 30 to 37 months in prison and a fine between $10,000 and $100,000. As part of her plea agreement, she must pay $303,972 in restitution. The Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, Bush-Bronson worked from April 2011 to October 2012 for a business identified in court documents as “Company A,” a consulting and lobbying firm in the District of Columbia. She maintained responsibility for the company’s day-to-day financial operations, including preparing checks, depositing funds, performing reconciliation of funds in bank accounts, and serving as a point of contact with the bank.

            From June 2011 through October 2012, according to the government’s evidence, Bush-Bronson issued checks drawn on the company’s account to herself, to cash, and to third parties for her own benefit. To conceal this activity, she made false entries in internal books and records. In total, she issued at least $45,786 in checks in this manner, using the money for, among other things, a down payment on a car, a mortgage payment, and a payment to her dentist.

            Bush-Bronson also used the company’s credit card to make $258,186 in unauthorized purchases for her own personal use at various retailers, including a jewelry store, department stores, and a salon, as well as for restaurants, airline tickets, and hotel stays.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Assistant Director in Charge Abbate commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence, and former Paralegal Specialist Heather Sales. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle A. Zamarin and David A. Last, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Frank G. Smith, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison on charges of aggravated assault and simple assault for his role in an attack of two men that took place in December 2013 near the entrance to the U Street Metro station in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

     Smith was found guilty by a jury in February 2016, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Florence Pan. Following completion of his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 2013, Smith and others attacked a man who had been involved in a traffic dispute with one of Smith’s friends.  That man was taken down to the ground near the U Street Metro entrance, at 10th and U Streets NW, and Smith and his friends began kicking him as he lay on the ground defenseless.

     A second man, a Good Samaritan, saw the beating taking place. He yelled at Smith and Smith’s friends to stop kicking the man on the ground, who appeared unconscious.  When they refused to stop, the Good Samaritan intervened by pushing Smith and the others away from the man on the ground.  One of Smith’s friends then began fighting with the Good Samaritan.  As the Good Samaritan separated from his first attacker, he noticed that he was cut and bleeding across the right side of his chest.  Smith then continued attacking him, at which point the Good Samaritan felt and saw that his left hand had been cut to the bone between his index finger and thumb.  As the police arrived on the scene, Smith stopped his attack and attempted to walk away, but he was stopped by the police and identified at the scene by the victim who was cut.

     No knife or sharp object was recovered from Smith, but he had blood on his face and clothes.  Subsequent DNA analysis revealed that the Good Samaritan’s DNA was found on Smith’s clothes.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by Bode Technologies. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Paralegal Specialists Lynda Randolph, Donville Drummond, and Allison Daniels; Criminal Investigator Melissa Matthews;  Litigation Technology Supervisor Joshua Ellen, and Patricia A. Riley, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chrisellen Kolb. Finally, he praised the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Connolly, who secured the indictment, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Crane and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez, who tried the case.

WASHINGTON – Tavon Pinkney, 20, William Bass, 18, and Kalif Brown, 22, all of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from the shooting death of a man last year in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Pinkney pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which is contingent on the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of 17 years in prison. Bass pled guilty to assault with intent to rob while armed.  His plea, which also is contingent on the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence consistent with the District of Columbia Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines.     Finally, Brown pled guilty to robbery.  His plea, also contingent on the Court’s approval, calls for five years in prison.

            All three defendants will be sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin on July 8, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, just before noon on February 16, 2015, the defendants were driven to the 300 block of 61st Street NE for purposes of conducting a PCP transaction with the victim, Rico Myers, 25, and his friend.  Once there, the defendants entered an alley and Pinkney pulled a gun, demanding the victim’s possessions.

            Bass began going through Mr. Myers’s pockets, while Brown robbed Mr. Myers’s friend.  Mr. Myers began struggling to defend himself and Pinkney then shot him four times.  The defendants ran to the waiting car on 61st Street NE, which then drove off.

            Mr. Myers ran out of the alley and collapsed on a sidewalk in the 300 block of 61st Street NE.  He was taken to a hospital, where all efforts to save his life were unsuccessful.  An autopsy performed by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death to be homicide.

            In announcing the guilty pleas, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division, Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, and the Sixth Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as Special Agent Benjamin Inman of the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim, Victim/Witness Security Specialist M. Laverne Forrest, and Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels.  Finally, he praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Douglas Hughes, 62, of Ruskin, Fla., was sentenced today to 120 days in jail on a federal charge stemming from the April 15, 2015, incident in which he flew a gyrocopter into Washington, D.C., and landed on the West Front lawn of the Capitol, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Matthew R. Verderosa, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, and Tammy L. Whitcomb, Acting Inspector General for the United States Postal Service.

            Hughes pled guilty on Nov. 20, 2015, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a felony charge of operating as an airman without an airman’s certificate. He was sentenced by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who stated that his actions showed a “total lack of concern and disregard” for the safety of others. Following completion of his prison term, Hughes will be placed on one year of supervised release; during that time, he is to stay away from the U.S. Capitol and White House. Also, as part of his plea agreement, he agreed to the forfeiture of his gyrocopter, which was seized on the day of the incident.

            “Douglas Hughes intentionally violated one of the most secure and restricted airspaces in the world, placing himself and countless others at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “His actions led to a lockdown of the U.S. Capitol, major traffic delays, and a diversion of law enforcement resources. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his reckless acts and hopefully will deter others from attempting to violate the airspace surrounding Washington, D.C.”

            According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of April 15, 2015, Hughes drove to the Gettysburg Regional Airport in Pennsylvania and unpacked his gyrocopter for a flight to Washington, D.C. Hughes had never had an airman’s certificate (pilot’s license) and he did not license his aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration. Hughes also did not file a flight plan with the FAA or any other governmental agency, and he did not seek to obtain any official authorization before or during his flight.

            Hughes had modified his aircraft by replacing the original gas tank with a larger-ten-gallon tank to increase the gyrocopter’s range to reach Washington, D.C. He also was wearing a U.S. Postal Service jacket and his gyrocopter was affixed with a U.S. Postal Service seal. Although Hughes worked for the U.S. Postal Service, he was not acting in any official capacity at the time. Hughes placed two bins into the gyrocopter, carrying letters addressed to members of the U.S. Congress. He then flew the gyrocopter into Washington, D.C. from Gettysburg, Pa., passing through three no-fly zones. This federally restricted airspace includes, among other places, the National Mall, the White House, and the U.S. Capitol area.

            Hughes flew over the National Mall and landed his gyrocopter in the early afternoon on the Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. He was quickly arrested, and the gyrocopter was seized as evidence. No weapons were found on Hughes or his aircraft.

            As a result of the defendant’s actions, the entire U.S. Capitol complex was placed on lockdown, including the Capitol Visitor Center. In addition, streets around the U.S. Capitol were shut down, which resulted in traffic delays. Capitol Police deployed bomb squad technicians, explosives’ dogs, and robotic devices to examine the scene. It was only after the scene was cleared that the lockdown was lifted.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Chief Verderosa, and Acting Inspector General Whitcomb commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States Park Police and the Federal Aviation Administration. Finally, they praised the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Devron Elliott and Michelle Holland; Legal Assistants Bianca Evans and Donice Adams, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal S. Chawla and Michael J. Friedman, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Barry Tillman, 59, who worked as the office manager for a church and its affiliated non-profit organization,  pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from a scheme in which he embezzled over $150,000, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Tillman, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to wire fraud 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, Tillman potentially faces up to 27 months in prison and a fine of up to $95,000. He also has agreed to pay a total of $153,754 in restitution. The Honorable Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for July 13, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, Tillman began work in 2008 as an office manager for the Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church, as well as City Gate, an affiliated non-profit organization that provided support for youth through after-school and summer educational programs. The organization also provided support to low-income families by supplying meals and job training. Tillman’s responsibilities included bookkeeping and accounting duties.

            From January 2009 through May 2013, Tillman processed salary payments to himself through both direct deposit and salary checks. He allowed the direct deposits knowing that he was receiving his salary by check, which resulted in him being paid twice. He kept a total of $153,754 of these electronic transfers for himself for his own use and benefit.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case, including Criminal Investigator Juan Juarez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by Criminal Investigator Stephen Cohen, Paralegal Specialist Jessica Mundi, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Jarrett, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Howie, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Ruth G. Leach, 53, who owned and operated  a day care center in the District of Columbia, pled guilty today to a federal tax evasion charge for failing to turn over more than $260,000 in payroll taxes that were withheld from her employees, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

            Leach, of Upper Marlboro, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of willfully failing to pay over employment taxes. The charge, a felony, carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Leach could face a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison and a fine of up to $75,000. She also must pay $263,153 in restitution to the IRS. The Honorable Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth scheduled sentencing for June 28, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, Leach owned and operated a business called Little Angels Child Care Center, Inc., which provided child care services for toddlers and young children. From 2006 through 2010, she ran the day-to-day operations of the business, which at various times employed several teachers and staff. She paid wages to her employees and deducted payroll taxes, including federal income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

            For the first quarter ending March 2006 through the fourth quarter ending December 2010, Leach willfully failed to truthfully account for the payroll taxes withheld from the wages of Little Angels Child Care Center employees. She failed to pay over a total of $263,153 in payroll taxes, instead keeping and using the funds for her personal expenses. She did not report this money in her own personal income taxes.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Jankowski commended the work of those who investigated the case from IRS-Criminal Investigation. They also acknowledged the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kristy Penny of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lionel André and Derrick Williams, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that it has completed its review of the Metropolitan Police Department officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of Gregory Gray on Dec. 24, 2014, in a courtyard in Southeast Washington.  After a careful review of all of the evidence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Mr. Gray.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and MPD conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included interviews of over a dozen law enforcement and civilian witnesses and assessing photographs, DNA, diagrams, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, the autopsy report, and other evidence.

            According to the evidence, the chain of events began at about 3 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2014, when MPD received reports that two men had been robbed at the corner of 30th Street and Alabama Avenue SE.  The witnesses who reported the robbery provided a detailed description of the robber.

            MPD officers quickly responded to the area and spotted Mr. Gray, 33, who was walking in the 2700 block of Naylor Road SE, approximately three blocks from where the robbery occurred. Mr. Gray, who matched the description of the robbery suspect, began running when police asked him to stop. Four MPD officers got out of their vehicles and pursued Mr. Gray on foot. Mr. Gray ran between two apartment buildings and into a courtyard area behind residences in the 2800 block of Naylor Road SE. He did not heed numerous commands to stop and wound up being positioned between the officers and an iron fence that ran the length of the courtyard. At this point, the evidence shows, Mr. Gray pulled a handgun and pointed it in the direction of the officers. Seeing the weapon, all four officers fired their weapons, fatally wounding Mr. Gray.

            A black firearm was recovered near Mr. Gray. An MPD technician who assisted with collecting evidence from the scene of the shooting was able to retrieve DNA from the firearm.  A subsequent analysis of the DNA revealed, to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty, that Mr. Gray was a major contributor to the DNA mixture recovered from the firearm.

            After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers used excessive force under the circumstances.

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 fully and completely investigated.  The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Novella White, 53, of Accokeek, Md., pled guilty today to federal charges of conspiracy to obtain controlled substances by prescription fraud and participating in a health care fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Nicholas DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.

            White entered the plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison for the conspiracy count and up to 10 additional years for the health care fraud scheme. The Honorable Richard J. Leon scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2016. As part of the plea agreement, White agreed to pay $5,400, representing her share of illegal proceeds obtained from various health care plans.

            A co-defendant, Claire Elizabeth Rice, 68, of Silver Spring, Md., pled guilty on Feb. 25, 2016 to the same charges. She is to be sentenced on June 3, 2016. As part of the plea agreement, Rice agreed to pay $16,175, representing her share of illegal proceeds.

            Both defendants were charged in a federal indictment returned in 2014. In her plea, White admitted to a statement of offense concerning her conduct. She admitted that, from 2008 to 2013, she passed 127 forged prescriptions for drugs, including oxycodone, a synthetic opiate, in the name of practicing cardiologist with offices in Northwest Washington. Ninety-one of the prescriptions were written in the name of Rice, her friend, who was never a patient of the doctor.

            White, a former employee of the doctor, left her job as a receptionist in January 2010, but took a blank prescription pad from the office when she left.  White was not a health care professional and did not have authority to write prescriptions for herself or for Rice.

            Rice caused the forged prescriptions that she obtained to be billed to health care plans such as Express Scripts and Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The health plans were defrauded the costs of filling these various prescriptions. White presented forged prescriptions in her own name as well, and caused them to be billed to one of four different health insurance plans which she maintained: Safeway Informed RX, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Health, and Medco Health, which were the victims of the health care fraud charges.

            In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the HHS Office of the Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Dominguez and Jennifer Kerkhoff, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Tyrone Johnson, 34, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a prison term of 80 months for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.

            Johnson pled guilty in January 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.  On April 11, 2016, Johnson was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Upon completion of his prison term, Johnson will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the afternoon of July 31, 2015, law enforcement officers received a tip that there was a man with a gun in the 1500 Block of Neal Street NE. Officers made contact with Johnson, who was carrying in his waist a Sig Sauer 9mm firearm that was loaded with eight rounds of ammunition. At the time of his arrest, Johnson was on supervision for possession with the intent to distribute PCP in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and 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 Candace Battle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli, of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for failing to pay over $1.4 million in federal personal income tax and employment taxes, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            James T. Redding, 48, of Reistertown, Md., pled guilty in August 2015 to one count of attempted tax evasion and one count of willful failure to collect or pay over tax. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. Redding also must pay a total of $1,473,054 in restitution to the IRS.

            “James Redding was a serial tax evader who committed numerous violations over a five-year period, resulting in a $1.4 million loss to the federal government,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “This investigation and prosecution show that there are significant consequences for those who try to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Hopefully this case will deter others from committing such crimes.”

            “For years, Mr. Redding defrauded the American tax system through deceptive personal and corporate tax returns,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “By evading his income tax and payroll tax obligations, he cheated the hard-working taxpayers in this country for his own personal gain.  The FBI and the IRS will vigorously pursue justice against those individuals who commit tax fraud and evasion.”

            “Today, Mr. Redding has to face the consequences of failing to report all of his income on his federal tax returns and paying the tax he owed,” said Special Agent in Charge Jankowski. “In today’s economic environment, it is imperative the American taxpayer feel confident that everyone is paying their fair share. When criminals evade their taxes, honest Americans end up having to pay more.”

            According to court documents, Redding was the president, sole shareholder and sole director of James T. Redding, Inc., doing business as JTR Inc., JTR Finishing Contractors, and JTR Construction. The company was primarily engaged in the business of interior construction in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

            Redding filed false and fraudulent tax returns for James T. Redding, Inc., for the 2009 and 2010 calendar years. He did not file returns for the corporation for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 calendar years.

           Redding was required to report all of the corporation’s income on his personal tax returns and pay taxes for the income.  For the tax years of 2009 through 2012, according to court documents, Redding filed false and fraudulent U.S. personal income tax returns on behalf of himself and his spouse.  He and his spouse did not file a personal income tax return for the 2013 calendar year.  The total income tax due and owing from the defendant and his spouse to the United States for the tax years 2009 through 2013 was approximately $600,000.

            Finally, from the beginning of the fourth quarter of the 2010 calendar year through the fourth quarter of the 2012 calendar year, Redding willfully failed to pay over all of the federal income tax and Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes withheld from JTR employees. Instead of paying over the taxes that he knew were due, he used those funds to pay JTR creditors and for the benefit of himself and his family members. In total, JTR did not pay over $873,054 that was due to the IRS.

            This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Office of Inspector General, of the U.S. Department of Labor. Assistance also was provided by Criminal Investigator Juan Juarez, Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar, and Paralegal Specialists C. Rosalind Pressley and Toni Donato, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by Trial Attorney Kenneth C. Vert, of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division.

Charles Harvey Eccleston, 62, a former employee of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), was sentenced today to 18 months in prison on a federal charge stemming from an attempted e-mail “spear-phishing” attack in January 2015 that targeted dozens of DOE employee e-mail accounts.

The sentencing was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Eccleston pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of attempted unauthorized access and intentional damage to a protected computer.  In his guilty plea, Eccleston admitted scheming to cause damage to the computer network of the DOE through e-mails that he believed would deliver a computer virus to particular employees.  An e-mail spear-phishing attack involves crafting a convincing e-mail for selected recipients that appears to be from a trusted source and that, when opened, infects the recipient’s computer with a virus.   

In addition to the prison time, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered Eccleston to forfeit $9,000, an amount equal to the sum the FBI provided to Eccleston during the course of the undercover investigation.

“Eccleston’s sentence holds him accountable for his attempt to compromise, exploit and damage U.S. government computer systems that contained sensitive nuclear weapon-related information with the intent of allowing foreign nations to gain access to that information or to damage essential systems,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “One of our highest priorities in the National Security Division remains protecting our national assets from cyber intrusions.  We must continue to evolve and remain vigilant in our efforts and capabilities to confront cyber-enabled threats and aggressively detect, disrupt and deter them.”

“Charles Harvey Eccleston is a scientist and former government employee who was willing to betray his country and his former employer out of spite,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips.  “His attempts to sell access to sensitive computer networks demonstrate why the government must be so vigilant to prevent cyber-attacks. Thanks to the FBI, this defendant was apprehended before he could do any damage. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to make the detection and prevention of cyber-crimes a top priority.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a powerful message that no one will be allowed to sabotage the U.S. Government’s cyber infrastructure or threaten our national security through the illicit sale of information to a foreign intelligence service,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “The FBI will continue to investigate and pursue those who attempt to disclose sensitive knowledge about our nation’s information systems and bring them to justice.”

Eccleston, a U.S. citizen who had been living in Davao City in the Philippines since 2011, was terminated from his employment at the NRC in 2010.  He was detained by Philippine authorities in Manila, Philippines, on March 27, 2015, and deported to the United States to face U.S. criminal charges.  He has been in custody ever since.

According to court documents, Eccleston initially came to the attention of the FBI in 2013 after he entered a foreign embassy in Manila and offered to sell a list of over 5,000 e-mail accounts of all officials, engineers and employees of a U.S. government energy agency.  He said that he was able to retrieve this information because he was an employee of a U.S. government agency, held a top secret security clearance and had access to the agency’s network.  He asked for $18,800 for the accounts, stating they were “top secret.”  When asked what he would do if that foreign country was not interested in obtaining the U.S. government information the defendant was offering, the defendant stated he would offer the information to China, Iran or Venezuela, as he believed these countries would be interested in the information. 

Thereafter, Eccleston met and corresponded with FBI undercover employees who were posing as representatives of the foreign country.  During a meeting on Nov. 7, 2013, he showed one of the undercover employees a list of approximately 5,000 e-mail addresses that he said belonged to NRC employees.  He offered to sell the information for $23,000 and said it could be used to insert a virus onto NRC computers, which could allow the foreign country access to agency information or could be used to otherwise shut down the NRC’s servers.  The undercover employee agreed to purchase a thumb drive containing approximately 1,200 e-mail addresses of NRC employees; an analysis later determined that these e-mail addresses were publicly available.  The undercover employee provided Eccleston with $5,000 in exchange for the e-mail addresses and an additional $2,000 for travel expenses.

Over the next several months, Eccleston corresponded regularly by e-mail with the undercover employees.  A follow-up meeting with a second undercover employee took place on June 24, 2014, in which Eccleston was paid $2,000 to cover travel-related expenses.  During this meeting, Eccleston discussed having a list of 30,000 e-mail accounts of DOE employees.  He offered to design and send spear-phishing e-mails that could be used in a cyber-attack to damage the computer systems used by his former employer.

Over the next several months, the defendant identified specific conferences related to nuclear energy to use as a lure for the cyber-attack, then drafted emails advertising the conference.  The emails were designed to induce the recipients to click on a link which the defendant believed contained a computer virus that would allow the foreign government to infiltrate or damage the computers of the recipients.  The defendant identified several dozen DOE employees whom he claimed had access to information related to nuclear weapons or nuclear materials as targets for the attack. 

On Jan. 15, 2015, Eccleston sent the e-mails he drafted to the targets he had identified.  The e-mail contained the link supplied by the FBI undercover employee which Eccleston believed contained a computer virus, but was, in fact, inert.  Altogether, the defendant sent the e-mail he believed to be infected to approximately 80 DOE employees located at various facilities throughout the country, including laboratories associated with nuclear materials.

Eccleston was detained after a meeting with the FBI undercover employee, during which Eccleston believed he would be paid approximately $80,000 for sending the e-mails.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with assistance from the NRC and DOE.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Gillice of the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie A. Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.  Trial Attorney Scott Ferber of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section assisted in the investigation of this matter.  The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the government of the Philippines also provided significant assistance.

WASHINGTON – Charles Harvey Eccleston, 62, a former employee of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), was sentenced today to 18 months in prison on a federal charge stemming from an attempted e-mail “spear-phishing” attack in January 2015 that targeted dozens of DOE employee e-mail accounts.

            The sentencing was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Eccleston pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of attempted unauthorized access and intentional damage to a protected computer.  In his guilty plea, Eccleston admitted scheming to cause damage to the computer network of the DOE through e-mails that he believed would deliver a computer virus to particular employees.  An e-mail spear-phishing attack involves crafting a convincing e-mail for selected recipients that appears to be from a trusted source and that, when opened, infects the recipient’s computer with a virus.  

            In addition to the prison time, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered Eccleston to forfeit $9,000, an amount equal to the sum the FBI provided to Eccleston during the course of the undercover investigation. Following his prison term, Eccleston will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            “Eccleston’s sentence holds him accountable for his attempt to compromise, exploit and damage U.S. government computer systems that contained sensitive nuclear weapon-related information with the intent of allowing foreign nations to gain access to that information or to damage essential systems,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “One of our highest priorities in the National Security Division remains protecting our national assets from cyber intrusions.  We must continue to evolve and remain vigilant in our efforts and capabilities to confront cyber-enabled threats and aggressively detect, disrupt and deter them.”

            “Charles Harvey Eccleston is a scientist and former government employee who was willing to betray his country and his former employer out of spite,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips.  “His attempts to sell access to sensitive computer networks demonstrate why the government must be so vigilant to prevent cyber-attacks. Thanks to the FBI, this defendant was apprehended before he could do any damage. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to make the detection and prevention of cyber-crimes a top priority.”

            “Today’s sentencing sends a powerful message that no one will be allowed to sabotage the U.S. Government’s cyber infrastructure or threaten our national security through the illicit sale of information to a foreign intelligence service,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “The FBI will continue to investigate and pursue those who attempt to disclose sensitive knowledge about our nation’s information systems and bring them to justice.”

            Eccleston, a U.S. citizen who had been living in Davao City in the Philippines since 2011, was terminated from his employment at the NRC in 2010.  He was detained by Philippine authorities in Manila, Philippines, on March 27, 2015, and deported to the United States to face U.S. criminal charges.  He has been in custody ever since.

            According to court documents, Eccleston initially came to the attention of the FBI in 2013 after he entered a foreign embassy in Manila and offered to sell a list of over 5,000 e-mail accounts of all officials, engineers and employees of a U.S. government energy agency.  He said that he was able to retrieve this information because he was an employee of a U.S. government agency, held a top secret security clearance and had access to the agency’s network.  He asked for $18,800 for the accounts, stating they were “top secret.”  When asked what he would do if that foreign country was not interested in obtaining the U.S. government information the defendant was offering, the defendant stated he would offer the information to China, Iran or Venezuela, as he believed these countries would be interested in the information.

            Thereafter, Eccleston met and corresponded with FBI undercover employees who were posing as representatives of the foreign country.  During a meeting on Nov. 7, 2013, he showed one of the undercover employees a list of approximately 5,000 e-mail addresses that he said belonged to NRC employees.  He offered to sell the information for $23,000 and said it could be used to insert a virus onto NRC computers, which could allow the foreign country access to agency information or could be used to otherwise shut down the NRC’s servers.  The undercover employee agreed to purchase a thumb drive containing approximately 1,200 e-mail addresses of NRC employees; an analysis later determined that these e-mail addresses were publicly available.  The undercover employee provided Eccleston with $5,000 in exchange for the e-mail addresses and an additional $2,000 for travel expenses.

            Over the next several months, Eccleston corresponded regularly by e-mail with the undercover employees.  A follow-up meeting with a second undercover employee took place on June 24, 2014, in which Eccleston was paid $2,000 to cover travel-related expenses.  During this meeting, Eccleston discussed having a list of 30,000 e-mail accounts of DOE employees.  He offered to design and send spear-phishing e-mails that could be used in a cyber-attack to damage the computer systems used by his former employer.

            Over the next several months, the defendant identified specific conferences related to nuclear energy to use as a lure for the cyber-attack, then drafted emails advertising the conference.  The emails were designed to induce the recipients to click on a link which the defendant believed contained a computer virus that would allow the foreign government to infiltrate or damage the computers of the recipients.  The defendant identified several dozen DOE employees whom he claimed had access to information related to nuclear weapons or nuclear materials as targets for the attack.

            On Jan. 15, 2015, Eccleston sent the e-mails he drafted to the targets he had identified.  The e-mail contained the link supplied by the FBI undercover employee which Eccleston believed contained a computer virus, but was, in fact, inert.  Altogether, the defendant sent the e-mail he believed to be infected to approximately 80 DOE employees located at various facilities throughout the country, including laboratories associated with nuclear materials.

            Eccleston was detained after a meeting with the FBI undercover employee, during which Eccleston believed he would be paid approximately $80,000 for sending the e-mails.

            The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with assistance from the NRC and DOE.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Gillice of the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie A. Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.  Trial Attorney Scott Ferber of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section assisted in the investigation of this matter.  The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the government of the Philippines also provided significant assistance.

WASHINGTON – Jeremiah Juwley, 30, formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 16-year prison term for sexually assaulting a woman in 2002, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Juwley pled guilty in February 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to attempted first-degree sexual abuse. The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 16 years in prison. The Honorable José M. López accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Upon his release from prison, Juwley will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He also will be on lifetime supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 2002, the victim, then 22, was walking alone to a friend's home in the 1100 block of Columbia Road NW after leaving a nightclub. While in route, Juwley, a stranger to her, began walking behind her. To evade him, she walked to an outdoor stairwell that was somewhat secluded.

            Juwley continued to pursue her. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her around the waist. The victim screamed. Juwley told her to shut up and knocked her face down onto the ground. She continued to scream, turning her face towards the apartment building so someone could hear her. The defendant continued to strike her in the face and started banging her head on the ground, eventually knocking her unconscious. Juwley then attempted to sexually assault her.

            The victim reported the assault to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and was taken to Howard University Hospital, where she was treated for injuries and swabbed for DNA.  The case was cold until April 2014, when the defendant was identified as a suspect through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a web of state and national databases containing DNA profiles from convicted offenders and crime scenes that is used as an investigative tool. Juwley’s DNA was in the system as a result of a 2011 conviction in a carjacking case; he was sentenced to a seven-year prison term in that case. Juwley’s DNA profile matched the DNA left behind by the assailant in 2002. Juwley was arrested in the sexual assault case in December 2015.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of detectives from the MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit, the Third Police District, and officers from the Forensic Science Division.  He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel, Tiffany Jones, and Tierra Naches, and Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Cook and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenya Davis and Nicholas Miranda, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Michael Gayle 35, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder stemming from the brutal strangling and stabbing of his estranged wife at her home in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Gayle pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for June 20, 2016. The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of life in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of June 29, 2014, Gayle went to the home of his wife, 31-year-old Eboni Domally, in the 5200 block of Queens Stroll Place SE. On that date, Gayle was no longer living at the home, having moved out over two months earlier. After arriving at the home, Gayle choked Ms. Domally, and then later stabbed her, causing extensive sharp force injuries to Ms. Domally. These injuries eventually led to Ms. Domally’s death.  Ms. Domally’s young son observed the events and ran to get help.

            Gayle left the home before help arrived.  He was ultimately arrested on July 22, 2014, by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force at his mother’s home in Charlotte, N.C. He has been in custody ever since.

            Gayle pled guilty in 2012 in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Md., to assault and burglary charges stemming from another incident in September 2011 with his wife.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Capital Area regional Fugitive Task Force, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Patricia A. Riley, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Paralegal Specialists Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie and Kendra Johnson; former Lead Paralegal Specialist Kwasi Fields. and Librarian Lisa Kosow. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Magdalena Acevedo and Amy H. Zubrensky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will pay tribute Monday, April 11, 2016, to over 30 crime victims, their families, witnesses, community groups, and Good Samaritans for their bravery, compassion, and dedication to the pursuit of justice.

            The honorees are to be recognized during a ceremony at 2 p.m. hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, timed with the annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, at One Judiciary Square.

            This year’s national theme, “Serving Victims, Building Trust, Restoring Hope,” highlights the importance of early intervention and victim services in establishing trust with victims, which in turn begins to restore their hope for healing and recovery.

            “Day after day, all of us are inspired by the strength, perseverance and courage of the victims and witnesses who come forward in the name of justice and public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “We are committed to doing everything we can to help them and their families throughout the criminal justice process. This ceremony is one way that we can show our respect and appreciation for the fortitude they demonstrate in the most challenging of circumstances.”

            In addition to U.S. Attorney Phillips, those scheduled to speak at the ceremony include Sherry Zalika Sykes, whose 22-year-old son, Omar Sykes, was slain on July 4, 2013, in a botched attempted armed robbery in Northwest Washington. Her son was a rising senior at Howard University; his killer is serving a 28 ½-year prison term. Ms. Sykes is a career federal public servant with extensive experience in the non-profit community. She was granted a fellowship in 2014 and 2015 to engage in a year-long program of study, speaking, and teaching about violence, and has spoken to audiences nationwide about its impact.

            Ms. Sykes will be honored at the ceremony, along with other individual victims, survivors and Good Samaritans whose efforts furthered the cause of justice. For example, the honorees include victims and witnesses who came forward after violent crimes; family members of murder victims, who attended weeks of trial; and a couple who intervened to stop a sexual assault, protected the victim until police arrived, and then pointed out the defendant to police.

            The honorees also will include five officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sixth District, who rescued residents from a burning apartment building in Southeast Washington earlier this year, and a U.S. Navy commander who came to the aid of a woman who had just been robbed at the L’Enfant Metro station. The Navy commander confronted the robber and was stabbed in an attempt to apprehend him for police.

            Special recognition will be given to the Children’s Law Center, a non-profit based in the District of Columbia that is now celebrating its 20th anniversary of helping children and families. The Children’s Law Center is being honored for the assistance that it provided a child in obtaining stable housing as well as emotional support during a trial.

            The event was developed and organized by the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Members of the Unit provide essential services and support to victims and witnesses, such as making referrals for counseling and other services, addressing safety concerns, and accompanying victims to court proceedings.  The Unit also notifies victims of their rights and provides information regarding significant case events, such as the filing of charges, plea hearings, trials and sentencing hearings.

            Additional information about the Victim Witness Assistance Unit is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance

            Further information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is available at http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.

            NOTE:  This event is open to the press. It will take place in the old Council Chambers of the One Judiciary Square Building, 441 Fourth Street NW. All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) as well as valid media credentials.  Media check-in begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT.  Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Bill Miller at 202-252-6643 or James Perez at 202-252-6608.

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Charles, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a six-year prison term for a vicious assault on his girlfriend last fall that left her in a coma for months, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Charles pled guilty in February 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of aggravated assault. He was sentenced by the Honorable Todd E. Edelman. Following his prison term, Charles will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Oct. 19, 2015, Charles got into an argument with his girlfriend at the apartment they shared in Southeast Washington. The argument began in the bedroom, but was loud enough so that the victim’s daughter, who was inside the apartment with a friend at the time, could hear the yelling.  As the argument ensued, the victim left the bedroom and walked out to the balcony.

            When she reached the balcony, the victim tossed Charles’s clothes over the side and onto the ground below. She then immediately sat down in a chair on the balcony.  Charles followed the victim out to the balcony, walked over to the edge, looked over and saw his clothes, and then turned to the victim and punched her in the face multiple times.  Following the assault on the balcony, he and the victim made their way into the apartment, at which point, the argument and physical struggle continued. Charles punched the victim repeatedly until she lost consciousness.  At some point during the altercation, the victim hit her head on a table.  Charles, however, continued punching her even after she had fallen into the table and was unconscious. 

            Charles attempted to clean up the scene before he left the apartment. He did not call police before leaving. A witness called 911. At the hospital, the victim was unconscious and unresponsive. Two months after her arrival in the hospital, the victim slowly began to awaken from her coma.  She is still recovering from the attack.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department, including detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch as well as officers and detectives from the Seventh District. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the U.S. Marshals Service. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Paralegal Specialists Zekiah Wright, Debra Joyner, and Tierra Nanches; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard DiZinno. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Eckert and Jessica Brooks, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Defendant Extradited from Indonesia

Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 42, a citizen of Singapore, has been extradited from Indonesia to stand trial in the District of Columbia on charges of taking part in a conspiracy that allegedly caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the United States to Iran, at least 16 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq. 

The extradition was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Director Sarah Saldaña of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Executive Assistant Director Michael Steinbach of the FBI’s National Security Branch and Under Secretary Eric L. Hirschhorn of the Commerce.

Lim had been detained in Indonesia since October 2014 in connection with a U.S. request for extradition.  He is to make his initial appearance at 1:30 p.m. EDT before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson of the District of Columbia.  Lim was indicted on June 23, 2010, and faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of smuggling, one count of illegal export of goods from the United States to Iran, one count of making false statements to the United States government and one count of making false statements to law enforcement.

“The indictment alleges that Lim conspired to defraud the United States and defeat our export controls by sending U.S.-origin components to Iran instead of their stated final destination of Singapore,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “Several of those components ultimately ended up in unexploded improvised devices in Iraq.  This case, including the successful extradition of Lim, demonstrates our efforts to vigorously pursue and bring to justice those who threaten our national security.”

“Thanks to the efforts of law enforcement here and abroad, Lim Yong Nam will now appear in an American courtroom to face charges involving the illegal export of sensitive technology,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips.  “As alleged in the indictment, the parts at issue here wound up in Iran and then on the battlefields in Iraq.  The extradition of this defendant demonstrates our commitment to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who violate our export controls and threaten our nation’s security.”

“Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have injured or killed thousands of military service members overseas,” said Director Saldaña.  “The U.S.-made products Lim is accused of illegally exporting were found in several of the devices used against America’s warfighters.  After a long investigative process, Lim is back on U.S. soil to answer for his actions.”

“The illegal export of restricted U.S. technology is extremely harmful to our national security,” said Executive Assistant Director Steinbach.  “In this case the technology had lethal applications and was used in improvised explosive devices in Iraq which endangered U.S. and coalition forces.  This investigation was a coordinated effort by many agency partners and shows our determination to identify and bring to justice all those who steal sensitive technology.”

“The extradition of Lim Yong Nam highlights the significant cooperation of U.S. law enforcement agencies and our international partners to pursue and prosecute those who pose a threat to our national security, especially to U.S. service members overseas,” said Under Secretary Hirschhorn.  “I commend the outstanding efforts of all of the agencies involved in the case.”

According to a superseding indictment that was returned against Lim and other defendants on Sept. 15, 2010, IEDs were the major source of American combat casualties in Iraq.  The conspiracy alleged in the indictment involved radio frequency modules that have several commercial applications, including in wireless local area networks connecting printers and computers in office settings.  These modules include encryption capabilities and have a range allowing them to transmit data wirelessly as far as 40 miles when configured with a high-gain antenna.  These same modules also have potentially lethal applications.  Notably, during 2008 and 2009, coalition forces in Iraq recovered numerous modules, all made by the same Minnesota firm, that had been utilized as part of the remote detonation system for IEDs.

The superseding indictment alleges that between June 2007 and February 2008, Lim and others caused 6,000 modules to be purchased and illegally exported from the Minnesota-based company through Singapore, and later to Iran, in five shipments, knowing that the export of U.S.-origin goods to Iran was a violation of U.S. law.  In each transaction, Lim and others made misrepresentations and false statements to the Minnesota firm that Singapore was the final destination of the goods.  Similarly, according to the superseding indictment, Lim and others caused false documents to be filed with the U.S. government, in which they claimed that Singapore was the ultimate destination of the modules.  At the time of these activities, Lim and others were allegedly communicating with one another about U.S. laws prohibiting the export of U.S.-origin goods to Iran.  However, in November 2009, Lim told U.S. authorities that he had never participated in illicit exports to Iran, the superseding indictment alleges.

The superseding indictment alleges that several of the 6,000 modules the defendants routed from Minnesota to Iran were later discovered by coalition forces in Iraq, where the modules were being used as part of IED remote detonation systems.  In May 2008, December 2008, April 2009 and July 2010, coalition forces found at least 16 of these modules in unexploded IEDs recovered in Iraq, the indictment alleges.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

This investigation was jointly conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Boston and Los Angeles; FBI agents in Minneapolis; and Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security agents in Chicago and Boston.  Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, particularly the Justice Department Attaché in the Philippines, as well as the FBI and HSI Attachés in Jakarta and Singapore.  

U.S. law enforcement authorities thanked the governments of Singapore and Indonesia for the substantial assistance that was provided in the investigation of this matter.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord of the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Lim et al Superseding Indictment

WASHINGTON – Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 42, a citizen of Singapore, has been extradited from Indonesia to stand trial in the District of Columbia on charges of taking part in a conspiracy that allegedly caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the United States to Iran, at least 16 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.

                The extradition was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Director Sarah Saldaña of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Executive Assistant Director Michael Steinbach of the FBI’s National Security Branch, and Under Secretary of Commerce Eric L. Hirschhorn.

            Lim had been detained in Indonesia since October 2014 in connection with a U.S. request for extradition.  He is to make his initial appearance at 1:30 p.m. today in federal court in the District of Columbia, where he was indicted on June 23, 2010. Lim faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of smuggling, one count of illegal export of goods from the United States to Iran, one count of making false statements to the United States government and one count of making false statements to law enforcement.

            “The indictment alleges that Lim conspired to defraud the United States and defeat our export controls by sending U.S.-origin components to Iran instead of their stated final destination of Singapore,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “Several of those components ultimately ended up in unexploded improvised devices in Iraq.  This case, including the successful extradition of Lim, demonstrates our efforts to vigorously pursue and bring to justice those who threaten our national security.”

            “Thanks to the efforts of law enforcement here and abroad, Lim Yong Nam will now appear in an American courtroom to face charges involving the illegal export of sensitive technology,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “As alleged in the indictment, the parts at issue here wound up in Iran and then on the battlefields in Iraq. The extradition of this defendant demonstrates our commitment to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who violate our export controls and threaten our nation’s security.”

            “Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have injured or killed thousands of military service members overseas. The U.S.-made products Mr. Lim is accused of illegally exporting were found in several of the devices used against America’s warfighters,” said ICE Director Saldaña. “After a long investigative process, Mr. Lim is back on U.S. soil to answer for his actions.”

            “The illegal export of restricted U.S. technology is extremely harmful to our national security,” said Executive Assistant Director Steinbach of the FBI's National Security Branch. “In this case the technology had lethal applications and was used in improvised explosive devices in Iraq which endangered U.S. and coalition forces.  This investigation was a coordinated effort by many agency partners and shows our determination to identify and bring to justice all those who steal sensitive technology.”

                “The extradition of Lim Yong Nam highlights the significant cooperation of U.S. law enforcement agencies and our international partners to pursue and prosecute those who pose a threat to our national security, especially to U.S. service members overseas,”  said Under Secretary Hirschhorn. “I commend the outstanding efforts of all of the agencies involved in the case.”

            According to a superseding indictment that was returned against Lim and other defendants on Sept. 15, 2010, IEDs were the major source of American combat casualties in Iraq.  The conspiracy alleged in the indictment involved radio frequency modules that have several commercial applications, including in wireless local area networks connecting printers and computers in office settings.  These modules include encryption capabilities and have a range allowing them to transmit data wirelessly as far as 40 miles when configured with a high-gain antenna.  These same modules also have potentially lethal applications. Notably, during 2008 and 2009, coalition forces in Iraq recovered numerous modules made by the Minnesota firm that had been utilized as part of the remote detonation system for IEDs.

            The superseding indictment alleges that between June 2007 and February 2008, Lim and others caused 6,000 modules to be purchased and illegally exported from the Minnesota-based company through Singapore, and later to Iran, in five shipments, knowing that the export of U.S.-origin goods to Iran was a violation of U.S. law.  In each transaction, Lim and others made misrepresentations and false statements to the Minnesota firm that Singapore was the final destination of the goods.  Similarly, according to the superseding indictment, Lim and others caused false documents to be filed with the U.S. government, in which they claimed that Singapore was the ultimate destination of the modules.  At the time of these activities, Lim and others were allegedly communicating with one another about U.S. laws prohibiting the export of U.S.-origin goods to Iran.  However, in November 2009, Lim told U.S. authorities that he had never participated in illicit exports to Iran, the superseding indictment alleges.

            The superseding indictment alleges that several of the 6,000 modules the defendants routed from Minnesota to Iran were later discovered by coalition forces in Iraq, where the modules were being used as part of IED remote detonation systems.  In May 2008, December 2008, April 2009 and July 2010, coalition forces found at least 16 of these modules in unexploded IEDs recovered in Iraq, the indictment alleges.

            An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

            This investigation was jointly conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Boston and Los Angeles; FBI agents in Minneapolis, and Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security agents in Chicago and Boston.  Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, particularly the Justice Department Attaché in the Philippines, as well as the FBI and HSI Attachés in Singapore. 

            U.S. law enforcement authorities thanked the governments of Singapore and Indonesia for the substantial assistance that was provided in the investigation of this matter.

            The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord of the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

WASHINGTON – Larry Russell Dawson, 66, of Antioch, Tenn., was charged today with two federal offenses stemming from a confrontation with law enforcement while he was being screened on Monday, March 28, 2016 at the United States Capitol Visitor Center, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Matthew R. Verderosa, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.

            Dawson was charged in a criminal complaint with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees with a dangerous weapon, which carries a statutory maximum of 25 years in prison, and assaulting a federal law enforcement officer with a dangerous weapon, which carries a statutory maximum of 30 years.  He is to appear at a later date, yet to be determined, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            This case is being investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Mudd and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Charles of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws.  Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

WASHINGTON - Meguiel Jackson, 36, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of malicious disfigurement while armed for cutting a woman approximately 28 times, all over her body, with a knife in an attack that occurred at an apartment building in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Jackson pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison sentence of 12 years.  The Honorable José M. López scheduled sentencing for June 3, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Jan. 22, 2016, Jackson entered an apartment building in the 4700 block of C Street SE.  He was brought to an apartment by the victim, and she permitted him into her bedroom.  Jackson became angry when the victim refused to allow him to inspect her cellular telephone to see her text messages.  At one point, he said words to the effect of “I am tired of you ---,” and began to assault her. She lost consciousness.  While she was unconscious, Jackson took a knife and began to cut her.

            Jackson cut the victim’s body approximately 28 times all over, including her face, her chest, her back, her buttocks, and her legs.  Some of the wounds were so deep that tissue was exposed.  Jackson ultimately broke the knife in the process of cutting her.  He then left the building later that evening. He was arrested Jan. 30, 2016 and has been in custody ever since.

            The victim was found to have suffered a total of 28 wounds to the face and body. Also, during the attack, she received a broken jaw and a broken orbital bone in her face.  The victim is permanently disfigured as a result of the injuries inflicted by Jackson.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sixth District, the patrol officers who responded in a major snowstorm to the crime scene, and the crime scene officers who processed the scene.  U.S. Attorney Phillips also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Shawn Slade; Supervisor Security Specialist Michael Hailey; Victim/Witness Security Specialist M. Laverne Forrest; and Paralegal Specialist Tierra Nanches.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen and Julianne Johnston, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A supervisor with the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority pled guilty today to a federal conflict-of-interest charge for approving permits for work applications prepared by his own private company, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Londra S. Watson, 53, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a felony charge of criminal conflict of interest. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Watson could face up to six months of incarceration and a fine. The Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan scheduled sentencing for June 27, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, Watson started work in 1981 for the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (“D.C. Water”). At the time of the offenses, he was the agency’s supervisor of documents and permits. His responsibilities included, among other things, supervising the processing of permit applications from applicants seeking to alter and make modifications to existing plumbing connections from D.C. Water lines to existing structures.

            In November of 2007, Watson started a company named Ardnol of DC LLC. Starting that month and continuing to February 2012, applicants seeking permits from D.C. Water provided checks totaling $141,066 to Watson’s company. In return, the firm was to assist them in preparing design plans, permit applications, plumbing plans, and utility plans, as well as D.C. Water “permit expediting” services. Many permit applicants were referred to Watson’s company by former clients who already had their permits approved by D.C. Water with the assistance of Ardnol of DC. Once an applicant contacted his company, Watson advised that he would draft the complete permit package, including the necessary site plans and diagrams, and assured the applicant that the permit application would comply with format requirements and protocols.

            Once the applicant paid Ardnol of DC its required fee, Watson prepared the complete permit package and delivered it to the client.  The client then submitted the permit application to D.C. Water for approval. In his official capacity as a supervisor in the permit office, Watson approved, directly or indirectly through his subordinates, applications and issued D.C. Water permits to a number of applicants who were clients of his company. He intentionally failed to disclose his financial interest in the company to D.C. Water.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, 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 Kristy Penny, Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lionel André and Michelle N. Bradford, who are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Malik Lloyd, 25, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges of felony assault, destruction of property, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs  stemming from a car crash early Jan. 1, 2016 in downtown Washington that caused significant injuries to three people, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Lloyd pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to three counts of assault with significant bodily injury, one count of destruction of property, and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol or a drug.

            In a separate case, Lloyd pled guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The Honorable Zoe Bush scheduled sentencing in the cases for May 25, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 1, 2016, at about 1:30 a.m., Lloyd was driving a Chrysler 200 northbound on 17th Street NW. He struck a Honda CRV that was also driving on 17th Street.  After the collision, Lloyd drove away, making a right turn onto L Street NW and driving up onto the sidewalk in front of Barcode, a bar located in the 1600 block of L Street NW. The car that he was driving struck a tree box, tree, and several pedestrians on the sidewalk before finally striking a light pole on the north side of the sidewalk.

            At least 13 people were assaulted as the result of the collision; some were injured directly by the vehicle and others indirectly by flying debris. At least three people incurred significant bodily injury that required immediate hospitalization or medical treatment. After the crash, while being treated by emergency medical personnel, Lloyd stated to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) that he had two glasses of champagne.

            The MPD officer smelled an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Lloyd’s mouth and observed that Lloyd’s eyes were bloodshot. At Howard University Hospital, Lloyd admitted to drinking in the club and smoking marijuana prior to going there. At the time of testing, his alcohol concentration level was 0.20 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, which is beyond the legal limit in the District of Columbia. There was also the presence of marijuana in his blood. Lloyd has been in custody since his arrest after the crash.

            The other case stemmed from a search carried out by law enforcement on Oct. 30, 2014, of Lloyd’s residence in the 6000 block of Clay Street NE. According to the government’s evidence, MPD members found significant quantities of drugs inside the residence, including bottles of liquid PCP and multiple stashes of crack cocaine.  MPD members also found drug paraphernalia, suggesting the packaging and distribution of narcotics, including multiple digital scales, cutting agents, and small “zip” bags used for street-level distribution of narcotics.  MPD members also found boxes of ammunition and three firearms, including two semi-automatic handguns that were found in Lloyd’s bedroom.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated each of the cases for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the DEA and the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.  He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle and Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Earnest, Michael Romano, Thomas Saunders, and Anwar Graves who are prosecuting the cases.

WASHINGTON – Tyi Michael Tunstall, 30, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to charges stemming from various schemes in which he used personal identifying information from others to steal more than $75,000, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and James M. Murray, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service.

            At the time of these offenses, Tunstall was on probation in an earlier fraud case. He used some of the proceeds of these schemes to pay his court-ordered restitution in the earlier case.

            Tunstall pled guilty on March 28, 2016 to wire fraud and obstruction of justice. He is to be sentenced June 13, 2016 by the Honorable James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely sentence of 33 to 41 months in prison. He also will be required to pay restitution and a forfeiture money judgment.

            Tunstall previously pled guilty in September 2013 to a charge of mail fraud. He was sentenced in March 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to five years of probation, with special conditions that he complete six months of home confinement to be followed by 20 weekends in jail. He also was ordered to pay $61,543 in restitution in that case.

            According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Tunstall worked from July 2014 to July 2015 for a company that managed a senior citizens’ apartment complex in Washington, D.C., first as an office assistant and later as the complex’s manager. From Sept. 8 through Oct. 27, 2015, he worked at a staffing agency that assigned him to a call center for three credit unions. He used both workplaces as a means to carry out his schemes, as outlined below:

            Identity Theft and Fraud at the Apartment Complex:

            In one scheme, Tunstall stole the personal identifying information of an 83-year-old resident of the complex and used the information to open multiple accounts at financial institutions from March 2015 to October 2015. He used one card multiple times, causing American Express to incur $1,785 in losses. Tunstall also placed orders on a credit account at Montgomery Ward, causing $225 in losses.

            In a separate scheme, Tunstall diverted to himself at least 22 checks and money orders from tenants to the apartment complex, totaling $8,723. These checks and money orders were intended to be used for rent, cable and community room rental. Tunstall added his name to the payee and/or memo line of the checks and money orders and kept them for his personal use.

            Tunstall also created 18 additional counterfeit checks, using the names of the apartment complex and two other persons whose information he obtained. Some of these checks were returned, but Tunstall eventually received $1,640.

            Identity Theft and Fraud at the Call Center:

            While working at the credit union call center, Tunstall accessed a credit union member’s bank accounts. He created a counterfeit check using this account information in the amount of $61,525 and deposited it into his personal bank account. He also transferred $20,000 of the victim’s money to an account that he controlled and that he had set up in the name of the 83-year-old victim.

            Tunstall used $52,512 of the proceeds from these schemes to pay off his restitution balance in the earlier case at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

**

            In addition to these acts, while he was on probation, Tunstall made a series of false representations to his probation officer and submitted forged documents to the Court, regarding his employment and other issues. This led to a probation revocation hearing on Oct. 29, 2015. At that time, Tunstall told the Court that he was able to pay the balance of his restitution because his grandmother had provided the money. In fact, as Tunstall well knew, he used the money that he had fraudulently obtained from others to pay off the restitution balance. His probation was revoked after the hearing and he has remained in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Murray commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Montgomery County, Md. Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigator Nicole Hinson and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marston. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas, who is prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON – Donald A. Essex, 68, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced today to 42 months in prison on a federal charge of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Essex pled guilty in September 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman. Upon completion of his prison term, Essex will be placed on five 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 May 14, 2015, Essex contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. He continued this conversation via instant messaging with the undercover officer, who purported to be the father of an under-aged girl. Essex then began sending approximately a dozen images of child pornography. He also expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with the under-aged girl. Law enforcement soon identified the defendant and obtained arrest and search warrants.

            In a search of Essex’s home at the time of his arrest on May 15, 2015, law enforcement recovered a computer, drives, and other devices. A forensic examination of those devices led to the discovery of images and videos depicting child pornography. Essex pled guilty to knowingly possessing more than 600 images of child pornography. He has been in custody since his arrest.

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

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Fairfax County, Va., Police Department. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Joyce Arthur and Assistant Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Lucretia R. Barksdale, 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, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Barksdale, 51, of Oxon Hill, Md., 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, Barksdale faces a likely range of 12 to 18 months in prison and possible financial penalties. She is to be sentenced July 13, 2016 by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta.

            According to the government’s evidence, Barksdale worked from July 2001 until June 2012 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 May of 2012, Barksdale accepted a total of $900 in cash from a person who was actually participating in an undercover FBI investigation. In exchange for this money, she issued two air conditioning permits and one electrical 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 announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, 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 Kristy Penny and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lionel André and Michelle N. Bradford, who are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Paul Williams, 32, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to raping and assaulting two women in separate attacks that took place in Northeast Washington within a three-week period in November 2014, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Both women were strangers that Williams and his accomplice, Rai-Jon Gerald, kidnapped off public sidewalks and forced into deserted areas, where Williams and Gerald sexually assaulted them. One attack took place on Thanksgiving Day.

            Williams pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of armed robbery. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison sentence between 35 and 38 years. It also requires the defendant to register as a sex offender for life upon his release. The Honorable Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for May 27, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Nov. 7, 2014, Williams and Gerald planned to rob a convenience store at 49th Street and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE. When a suspicious employee thwarted their plans, Williams and Gerald, armed with a BB gun that looked like a real handgun, walked eastbound down Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue. They soon spotted a woman walking alone, whom they approached. Gerald displayed the gun to the woman, while Williams grabbed her by the hair and forced her to the ground. Williams then put the woman in a headlock and dragged her into a deserted alley near an abandoned wooded lot. There, in the dark and amidst such debris as discarded mattresses and tires, Williams and Gerald orally and vaginally raped the woman. They also robbed her of cash and phones, and Williams threatened to kill her if she reported the assault.

            Three weeks later, on Nov. 27, 2014 – which was Thanksgiving Day - Williams and Gerald again met up in the early morning hours to rob the convenience store at 49th Street and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE. Once again, their plans were thwarted, causing them to head down Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue in search of other victims. They encountered a woman, who, like their first victim, was a complete stranger to them. Armed with a BB gun and Taser, Williams and Gerald assaulted the woman, robbing her of her purse and forcing her off the sidewalk toward tall bushes at nearby Kelly Miller Middle School. While Gerald led the way, Williams dragged the woman, repeatedly striking her in the head and face with his gun. Once behind the bushes, Williams forcibly removed the woman’s clothing and orally sexually assaulted her. Williams also attempted forced vaginal sex. Throughout, the woman fought back. In response, Williams continued to pistol whip her, as well as strike her in the face with his fists. Williams and Gerald Tasered the woman multiple times. With Williams’s assistance, Gerald also sexually assaulted the woman orally, and attempted to do so vaginally.

            A neighbor heard the woman’s screams and the sounds of her being Tasered. He called the police, who quickly arrived on scene. Gerald escaped, but Williams was arrested nearby hiding in a yard. Williams has been in custody since his arrest.

            Gerald, 20, also of Washington, D.C., was identified and arrested two months later, and he earlier pled guilty to first-degree sexual abuse, attempted first-degree sexual Abuse, and two counts of robbery. He is awaiting sentencing.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Division, the patrol officers who responded, and the crime scene officers who processed both crime scenes. He thanked the District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners who examined the victims shortly after the assaults, the FBI’s Footwear Examiners, the forensic biologists and DNA analysts at Bode Cellmark Forensics and the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, and Teel Technologies, which performed forensic analysis of the defendant’s phone.

            U.S. Attorney Phillips also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughn; Paralegal Specialists Jessica Moffatt and Joyce Arthur; Legal Assistant Brendan Conye; Criminal Investigation Unit Investigator John Marsh; Information Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Aneela Bhatia, Paul Howell, and Joshua Ellen; Investigative Analyst William Hamann, Witness Security Specialist Michael Hailey; current and former interns Allison Denton, Stephanie Dinan, Emma McArthur, and Marissa Moshell; former Paralegal Specialist Chantal Corrigan; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Morgan, and Assistant U.S Attorney Jodi Lazarus, who assisted with the initial investigation of the case.

            Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John L. Hill and Kara Traster, who investigated, indicted, and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Jerez Nehemiah Coleman, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 21 months in prison on a federal charge stemming from an investigation into a series of calls he made falsely warning of various threats to the Metro transit system, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police.

            Coleman, also known as Kidd Cole and Jerez Nehemiah Stone-Coleman, was arrested on May 27, 2015 and has been in custody ever since. He pled guilty on Dec. 18, 2015, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of making threats involving explosive materials. He was sentenced by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta. The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for a sentence ranging from time served to up to 27 months in prison. Following his prison term, Coleman will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            In sentencing the defendant, Judge Mehta cited the severity of the conduct, noting that the 911 calls “involved threats to conduct innate acts of extraordinary violence, detonating bombs, snipers firing on Metro passengers, suicide bombers boarding buses, threats to kill the President of the United States … They most certainly were intended to cause bedlam and disruption.”

            According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Coleman placed over 300 calls to 911 from December 2014 to May 2015. Multiple law enforcement agencies -- including the Metro Transit Police, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the U.S. Secret Service -- responded to these calls and provided security at the various scenes. These threat and/or hoax calls caused law enforcement to spend hundreds of hours ensuring the public was safe.

            In one such call, for example, made on Dec. 12, 2014, Coleman called 911 to report that he and his friends had bombs and were on a Metrobus at the Potomac Avenue Metro station in Southeast Washington. During the call, Coleman stated, “We are going to blow the entire whole bus…everybody is going to die in ten minutes…” This call prompted an immediate emergency response. MPD and Metro Transit Police were diverted from other duties and dispatched, emergency lights on and sirens blaring, to the scene. MPD arrived first and established a perimeter around the bus. There were about 20 passengers on board. When Metro Transit Police officers arrived, they evacuated the passengers. They searched each seat of the bus, the wheel wells, the undercarriage, and the exhaust pipes. Throughout this search, the bus was out of service. After the thorough investigation, police determined that the 911 call was a hoax.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Metro Transit Police Chief Pavlik commended the work of those who investigated the case for the Metro Transit Police. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metropolitan Police Department, the 911 Office of Unified Communications, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and other law enforcement agencies. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jorge Casillas, Jessica Moffatt, and Todd McClelland; Criminal Investigator John Marsh, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Morgan. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah A. Curtis, John L. Hill and John Marston, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Dominique Holmes, 25, and Gregory Smithwick, 23, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to prison terms of 28 years and six years, respectively, after earlier pleading guilty to charges stemming from the murder of a man in Southwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Both men pled guilty in January 2016 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  Holmes pled guilty to one charge of second-degree murder while armed as well as a charge of armed robbery in an unrelated case. Smithwick pled guilty to acting as an accessory after the fact to armed carjacking in a crime leading up to the murder.

            The guilty pleas, which were contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for prison sentences of between 25 and 30 years for Holmes and between five and eight years for Smithwick. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted the pleas and sentenced the defendants accordingly. Upon completion of their prison terms, the men will be placed on five years of supervised release.

             According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 10, 2014 at approximately 6:30 a.m., Holmes carried out a carjacking in the 2000 block of 37th Street SE.  Holmes picked up Smithwick almost immediately after the carjacking.  Smithwick got into the driver’s seat and drove away, helping Holmes escape from the area. Approximately 40 minutes after the carjacking, Holmes arrived in the carjacked vehicle in the 100 block of Ivanhoe Street SW.  Holmes went up to the apartment unit of the victim, Ricky Kelly. Mr. Kelly, 29, was about to take his children to school, and they were in his car parked just outside of the apartment building.  Mr. Kelly was alone inside the apartment.  Holmes shot Mr. Kelly nine times with a 9mm handgun inside his apartment.  He and Smithwick then fled the scene in the carjacked vehicle.

             Shortly after the murder, the carjacked vehicle was spotted, and Smithwick and Holmes led officers on a high-speed chase that ended near Alabama Avenue and 32nd Place SE.  Holmes and Smithwick were both immediately arrested.  

            The armed robbery charge stems from an attack carried out by Holmes early Sept. 27, 2014, in the area of 41st Street and Alabama Avenue SE. The victim was walking toward his parked car. Holmes, who was carrying what appeared to be a firearm, approached the man and demanded that he empty his pockets. The victim turned over his iPhone, some cash, and the keys to the vehicle. Holmes then drove away in the car with the victim’s belongings.

             In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner.  Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels; Victim/Witness Advocates M. Laverne Forrest, Wanda Queen, and Marcia Rinker; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Rickard and Lauren Bates, who provided appellate guidance, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kendra Briggs, Richard DiZinno, and Jeffrey Nestler, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Mustapha Kone, 48, who has no fixed address, pled guilty today to kidnapping and other charges stemming from separate attacks against two young women near the Foggy Bottom Metro station in the fall of 2014, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

            Kone pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of kidnapping, threats, and assault. He is to be sentenced on May 27, 2016 by the Honorable Florence Pan. The charges carry a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 19, 2014, at about 3:30 a.m., one of the victims was sitting on a bench in the above-ground plaza near the Foggy Bottom Metro station, in the 2300 block of I Street NW.  The defendant – a total stranger – approached the woman and told her that he wanted her to come with him into the nearby bushes as he had something that he wanted to show her.  When she declined, Kone grabbed her and tried to pull her into the bushes.  She resisted, and Kone told her that if she tried to leave, he would kill her.  She began to scream, and Kone let go of her.  She then ran to her nearby residence and called 911 to report the assault.

            Meanwhile, Kone walked further west in that same plaza, where he encountered the second victim, another total stranger.  He walked up to her and told her that he wanted to have sex with her.  He then knocked the woman to the ground and got on top of her.  Unable to get away, she began to scream. A group of nearby Good Samaritans then came to her aid, yelling at Kone to get off of her.  He did, and began to flee down New Hampshire Avenue, toward the Watergate complex.  Two of the Good Samaritans gave chase, calling 911 as they pursued him.

            Kone ran behind a bush or tree in front of one of the nearby apartment buildings.  The two Good Samaritans stood watch, urging the 911 operator to get the police to their location quickly before Kone could flee again.  While those two young men remained, keeping an eye on Kone, campus police from George Washington University arrived and arrested the defendant.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of police from the George Washington University, who initially apprehended the defendant; and of detectives from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit, which investigated the case.  He also commended the bravery and willingness to become involved of the Good Samaritans who came to the aid of the victims.

            U.S. Attorney Phillips also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Kennedy and Mark Aziz, Paralegal Specialists Michelle Chambers and D’Yvonne Key, and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON – A 34-year-old man from Washington, D.C. was sentenced today to 22 years in prison on a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances for sexually abusing his 13-year-old daughter, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in November 2015 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison sentence between 9 ½ and 23 years. The Honorable Jennifer Anderson accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following completion of his prison term, the man will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for 10 years upon his release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the abuse occurred between July 19 and July 27, 2014 in Southeast Washington. The defendant, who is the victim’s father, was watching television with her in the defendant’s room. The defendant removed the victim’s pants and underwear, and sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, he apologized to the victim, promising that he wouldn’t sexually abuse her again.

            The defendant, who left the Washington, D.C. area, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in New York City on Sept. 10, 2015. He admitted having had sex with the victim. He also wrote the victim an apology letter, asking her to forgive him.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigations Division and of the Deputy U.S. Marshals based in New York. He also commended the efforts of staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Child Forensic Interview Specialists Tracy Owusu and Karen Giannakoulias; Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; Paralegal Specialist Joyce Arthur, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John L. Hill, who prosecuted the case.