District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Donta Winslow, 33 of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for stabbing his ex-girlfriend last summer while they were in her car in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Winslow pled guilty in November 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of assault with intent to kill while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison sentence within the range of 13 to 16 years. The Honorable Michael Ryan accepted the plea today and sentenced Winslow accordingly. After his prison term, Winslow will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Winslow was previously in a romantic relationship with the victim. She had ended the romantic relationship, however. In the late morning of Aug. 14, 2015, Winslow approached and then got into the victim’s car. At one point, near the intersection of 46th and Meade Streets NE, Winslow forced the victim to pull the car onto a curb. The victim was in the driver’s seat, and Winslow was in the passenger seat.

            Winslow took out a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times in the body, including in the back of her neck, back, and chest. The victim was curled down, facing forward in the seat, when Winslow stabbed her. A witness approached the car and confronted Winslow, causing him to get out of the car and run away.

            When officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the scene, they found the victim motionless on her side. She was transported to the hospital via ambulance. She had approximately 11 stab wounds to her body, and two collapsed lungs. She was admitted to the hospital for almost two months. She has severe spinal cord damage from the stabbing that initially left her paralyzed. Through extensive physical therapy, she has regained some of her motor skills, but remains significantly impaired.

            Winslow fled the scene and was apprehended in Washington, D.C., shortly after the incident. He has been in custody ever since.

             In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Erica Vample and Joyce Arthur, and Victim/Witness Advocate Meshall Thomas. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A 42-year-old man, formerly of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to one count 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 the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a seven-year prison sentence. The Honorable Michael Ryan set a hearing for May 20, 2016 to determine whether the plea and sentence will be accepted.

            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 plea, 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.

WASHINGTON – Lewis J. Levine, 59, a chiropractor who practiced in Southeast Washington, was sentenced today to five months of incarceration, to be followed by two years of supervised release, including a curfew and five months of electronic monitoring, for his role in a scheme involving fraudulent claims to the District of Columbia Medicaid program.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Levine, of Laurel, Md., pled guilty in September 2014 to a federal charge of health care fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. As part of his plea agreement, Levine must pay $50,260 in restitution to the D.C. Medicaid program and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

            The fraud involved D.C. Medicaid payments for home care services to be performed by personal care aides, working for home care agencies. The aides 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 order to be covered for such benefits, the beneficiaries must get prescriptions from physicians or advanced practice registered nurses. D.C. Medicaid only reimburses for care services if a physician determines after a physical examination that the beneficiary has functional limitations impairing activities of daily living. The prescriptions, also known as “intakes,” propose the frequency and duration of the services to be provided. The prescriptions are translated later into plans of care, also to be signed by the physician.

            In the District of Columbia, a typical prescription, or “intake,” calls for eight hours of personal care services per day for five days per week, or eight hours per day for seven days per week. Over the six-month time span authorized by such a prescription, D.C. Medicaid could pay between $16,952 and $23,732 for personal care services provided to one beneficiary.

            According to a statement of offense, signed by the government as well as the defendant, Levine was licensed as a chiropractor in the District of Columbia, not as a physician. He worked at the Anacostia Neck & Back Pain Center in Southeast Washington. He was not authorized to prescribe personal care services, and he was not enrolled as a provider in D.C. Medicaid.

            According to the statement of offense, Levine and others carried out their scheme to defraud the D.C. Medicaid program from approximately November 2012 through February 2014. Personal care aides, working for at least eight home care agencies, brought numerous beneficiaries to Levine, and he wrote prescriptions and plans of care, listing himself as the “ordering physician,” after brief examinations; sometimes, however, he never even met the beneficiary.

            Levine initially was paid $75 for each D.C. Medicaid beneficiary brought to his office by a personal care aide, but he later increased the size of the cash payments to $150. Levine’s prescriptions, or “intakes,” typically included a diagnosis such as “chronic severe back pain” and called for services for eight hours a day, seven days a week, for six months.

            During the course of the fraud scheme, Levine signed hundreds of prescriptions and plans of care, and in exchange collected at least $50,260 in cash payments from D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries and personal care aides. Home care agencies used Levine’s prescriptions and plans of care to support and justify their claims for payment to Medicaid – even though the paperwork was invalid on its face because it was not prescribed or signed by a physician as required.

            This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Radway, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dangkhoa Nguyen.

            The FBI has set up a hotline number to report suspected incidents of Medicaid fraud: 855-281-1242. People can also provide information by e-mail to [email protected].

            In addition to the FBI, numerous agencies are participating in broader investigations into Medicaid fraud, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG);  the U.S. Secret Service; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Office of Inspector General, Department of Labor; the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

            HHS-OIG also has a hotline that can be reached at 800-HHS-TIPS or by visiting their website link at http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/index.asp

WASHINGTON – Joshua Mayo, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 42-month prison term for two offenses, including an armed robbery and receipt of stolen property taken during another armed robbery, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Mayo pled guilty in October 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of armed robbery and receipt of stolen property. The Honorable Todd E. Edelman sentenced him to a total of 72 months in prison, but suspended all but 42 months of the time on the condition that he successfully complete a period of probation.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Friday, Aug. 28, 2015 at approximately 7:50 a.m., the victim reported that Mayo approached her after she exited her vehicle in the 1500 block of East Capitol Street SE. Mayo blocked the victim’s path, and stated, “Stop, give me your bags,” while directing her attention to the handle of the pistol that was sticking out from the right front portion of his waistband. The victim handed over her belongings, including her car keys.

            Mayo fled the area, but returned several hours later to the parking lot where the victim had previously parked her vehicle. Law enforcement had been canvassing the area for the defendant, and when they attempted to stop him in his vehicle, he fled the area. He was eventually detained after he crashed the vehicle. Law enforcement recovered a black .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol from inside the vehicle, as well as some of the victim’s belongings.

            The receipt of stolen property charge stems from Mayo’s possession of a cellphone stolen on April 11, 2015, during another armed robbery in Northeast Washington.

            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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vivien Cockburn and Derrick Williams, who investigated and prosecuted the cases.

WASHINGTON – Benjamin Smalls Allen III, 52, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to nine years in prison on charges stemming from a brutal assault last year of a homeless 65-year-old woman with a baseball bat, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Allen was found guilty by a jury in January 2016, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of one count of assault with a dangerous weapon (baseball bat) of a senior citizen and one count of committing the offense while he was on release in two other pending cases. The Honorable Anita Josey-Herring sentenced him to a total of 16 years in prison, but suspended seven years of that time on the condition that he later successfully complete a period of supervised probation. At sentencing, she described Allen as “a very dangerous man.”

            According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 28, 2015, at approximately 9:15 p.m., the victim was seated in front of the tarp tent that she calls home in the area of Miriam’s Kitchen, located in the 700 block of 24th Street NW.  The victim was putting medication on the lower part of her stomach when Allen seated himself in front of her and started staring at her.

            Wanting some privacy, she asked the defendant to move down the road. Allen refused and began verbally harassing her. She then called 911, stating that a man was threatening her.  While she was still on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, the defendant announced himself by name in the background, twice stating, “Tell them my name is Benjamin Smalls Allen III.”   When she completed the 911 call, Allen asked her if she had called the police and she replied that she had.  At this time, Allen removed a metal baseball bat from his bag and struck the victim repeatedly with it, using overhead swings.

            The woman put her hands over her head to protect herself as Allen continued to strike her in the hand, elbow and knee. An eyewitness, also homeless, saw a portion of this assault. The victim sought medical treatment a few days later and was diagnosed with a closed non-displaced fracture on her right hand.  She later identified Allen as the person who assaulted her.

            At sentencing, the government noted that Allen has prior convictions for assault with intent to kill, criminal sexual conduct in the third-degree, burglary and grand larceny.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy; Victim/Witness Coordinator Tonya Jones; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allessandra Stewart and Melissa Jackson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Russell J. Sveda, 70, and Richard V. Schachter, 56, of Alexandria, Virginia, were each sentenced yesterday to 15 months incarceration for their scheme to steal from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Maria L. Kelokates, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS), Washington Division, and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Both Sveda and Schachter pled guilty in October 2015 to Health Care Fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. They were sentenced on Thursday, March 10, 2016, by the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan. Upon completion of their prison terms, both defendants will be placed on 36 months of supervised release.  They must jointly pay $257,000 to OPM and forfeit money judgments of $257,000.

            According to statements of the offense, signed by the defendants as well as the government, Sveda is a former U.S. State Department employee, now retired. He is entitled to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which is the federally-funded health benefit program provided by the U.S. government for federal employees, retirees, and their eligible spouses and dependents. State Department Foreign Service employees and retirees, like Sveda, and federal employees living overseas, have the option of choosing the Foreign Service Benefit Plan of Washington, D.C., as their health insurance plan. Participants of this plan, like Sveda, pay for medical services and medications up front and then submit claims via facsimile or mail and are reimbursed by a check sent through the U.S. Postal Service or a payment electronically transferred into their bank account.

            Schachter is Sveda’s spouse and acted on behalf of Sveda in demanding payments for medical insurance claims. Between February 2007 and October 2010, Sveda and Schachter submitted to the insurance carrier for the Foreign Service Benefit Plan claims for pharmaceutical items and services purportedly obtained from a German pharmacy, Stadt-Apotheke Fussen, located in Fussen, Germany. Similarly, from May 2007 through October 2012, Sveda and Schachter submitted claims for medical services Sveda allegedly obtained from various German doctors, clinics, and hospitals. Sveda’s claims used the names and addresses of various doctors, clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies, and other health care service providers, located in Germany. 

            Since at least 2007, Sveda and Schachter have engaged in extensive foreign travel and extended stays at spas. Government travel records — such as passport stamps and U.S. government’s records of border crossings — as well as documents obtained from airlines, ocean line operators, credit and debit card payments, and a major spa company, establish that Sveda was traveling across the Atlantic, receiving spa treatments in Massachusetts, or otherwise traveling outside of Germany on the dates when Sveda and Schachter claimed Sveda was in Germany receiving medical services from doctors, clinics, hospitals, or other health care providers. Based on information the government has received to date, $257,000 of those claimed medical services, purportedly performed in Germany, are known to be false given the dates when travel and other records establish that Sveda was not in Germany.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Acting Inspector General Vint, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Inspector in Charge Kelokates expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents and analysts from OPM’s Office of the Inspector General and the FBI, and Postal Inspectors and analysts with the USPIS. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo, Kristy Penny, John Lowell, Jessica Mundi, and Corinne Kleinman, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Radway and Diane Lucas, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Stephanie Carethers, 47, of Capitol Heights, Md., pled guilty today to a charge of first-degree theft for taking approximately $702,000 in federal retirement pension benefits after her mother’s death, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

            Carethers pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  She is to be sentenced on June 16, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.  Under the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, she faces a possible sentence of six to 24 months of incarceration. Carethers also has agreed to pay restitution in an amount of $702,949.

            According to the statement of the offense, signed by the defendant, OPM manages pension benefits for retired employees of the United States government.  The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) is a retirement system covering federal employees who entered covered federal service before Jan. 1, 1987.  Upon retirement from civil service, the federal employees covered by CSRS become CSRS annuitants and are entitled to CSRS benefits throughout their lifetimes.  In addition, a CSRS annuitant has the option to elect a survivor benefit for his/her spouse; if selected, a spousal benefit allows for the annuitant’s surviving spouse to continue to receive a reduced amount of benefits throughout the spouse’s lifetime.

            OPM pays retirement annuity benefits to the retired federal government employee only during his/her lifetime; payments cease upon the employee’s death.  OPM pays survivor annuity benefits to the annuitant’s spouse only during his/her lifetime; payments cease upon the spouse’s death.

            The defendant’s mother worked for the federal government from 1941 to 1986.  From 1941 to 1945, she worked for the Executive Office of the President for Emergency Management, and then worked for the U.S. State Department from 1945 to 1986.  She died on April 23, 2001. The defendant’s father also worked for the U.S. government until his retirement in June 1986. He died on March 7, 2002, surviving his wife by about one year.

            Although Carethers notified Maryland’s Division of Vital Records that her mother died, she did not notify OPM.  Unaware of the death, OPM paid approximately $495,967 in retirement annuity benefits from 2001 until March 2010 by way of direct deposits into a SunTrust Bank savings account solely in the name of the defendant’s parents.

            Although Carethers likewise notified Maryland’s Division of Vital Records that her father died on March 7, 2002, she did not notify OPM.  However, OPM learned of his death and suspended his retirement annuity benefits in July 2002. Carethers subsequently called OPM’s Office of Retirement Programs, identifying herself as the daughter.  She requested that survivor annuity benefits application forms be sent to her mother, not disclosing that her mother actually was deceased. She then caused an application to be sent to OPM fraudulently requesting survivor annuity benefits for her mother; the application contained the forged signature of her mother. Because her mother was deceased, she was not eligible for survivor annuity benefits. Based on this application and unaware of the death of the defendant’s mother, OPM paid approximately $206,982 in survivor annuity benefits. These payments were directly deposited into a SunTrust Bank checking account solely in the name of the defendant’s parents.

            From 2001 to 2010, Carethers used the fraudulently obtained payments that OPM sent after her mother’s death to buy items and services for herself and others.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting Inspector General Vint expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents and analysts from OPM’s Office of Inspector General.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Corinne Kleinman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who is prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – A federal district court judge accepted a Virginia man’s guilty plea today for his involvement in a far-reaching stolen identity refund fraud scheme in which he worked with others to seek over $1.5 million in income tax refunds through the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

           Bradley King, 35, of Fredericksburg, Va., is among approximately 19 participants in this scheme who have pleaded guilty to charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  According to court documents, the overall case involves the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns that sought refunds of at least $42 million. King pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to claims, one count of theft of public money, and one count of aiding and abetting in fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents.

            The charges carry statutory maximum prison terms of 10 years, 10 years, and 15 years, respectively, as well as potential financial penalties.  As part of the plea agreement, King agreed to pay $493,436 in restitution to the IRS. King also is subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $5,400. King is to be sentenced on May 18, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle.

            According to the government’s evidence, King participated in a massive and sophisticated stolen identity refund fraud scheme that involved an extensive network of more than 130 people, many of whom were receiving public assistance.  The refunds were sought for tax years 2005 through 2013, often in the names of people whose identities had been stolen, including the elderly, residents of assisted living facilities, drug addicts and incarcerated prisoners.  Returns were also filed in the names of, and refunds were issued 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, King’s involvement in the scheme began in 2008 and continued through July 2015. Initially, he permitted co-conspirators to use his name, Social Security number, and residential address for the creation and submission of fraudulent income tax returns. From March 2010 through July 2015, he recruited others to provide him with means of identification for use in preparing and filing fraudulent returns. He also recruited others to permit the use of their residential addresses on fraudulent returns that he prepared and filed. King split the proceeds of the fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks with his co-conspirators. In addition, he and others used bank accounts for the negotiation of refund checks that were issued in the names of other persons. Finally, according to the court documents, he sold fraudulently obtained refund checks to another individual in June 2015.

            Taking together the losses generated by the use of residential addresses and bank accounts under his control, including checks associated with his co-conspirators, King was responsible for the filing of approximately 444 fraudulent returns that sought more than $1.5 million. These actions led to a total actual loss of approximately $493,436 to the U.S. Treasury, based on the negotiation of a total of 153 U.S. Treasury checks listing addresses under his control and/or negotiated by his recruits.

            In announcing the plea, 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 of the District of Columbia, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Schornstein and Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo and Julie Dailey.  Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of 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 –Romeo T. Hayes, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison on charges stemming from the Aug. 13, 2014 shooting of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Detective Thurman Stallings, and the attempted shooting of MPD Officer Shaquinta Gaines, both of whom were off-duty at the time. His brother, Ronald J. Hayes, Jr., also known as “Rocky,” 21, also of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 16 months of incarceration for related offenses. The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

     Under what is known as the Alford doctrine, Romeo Hayes pled guilty on Nov. 4, 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to eight felonies and one misdemeanor.  Specifically, he pled guilty to one count of assault with intent to kill stemming from the shooting of Detective Stallings; one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence; one count of assault with a dangerous weapon (gun) stemming from the attempted shooting of Officer Gaines; one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle during or to facilitate a crime of violence; three counts of felony destruction of property; one count of fleeing from a law enforcement officer, and one count of misdemeanor destruction of property. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit the allegations but agrees that the government has enough evidence to secure a conviction. His guilty plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for a 10-year prison sentence. The Honorable Jennifer Anderson accepted the plea today. Following his prison term, Romeo Hayes will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     Ronald Hayes, Jr., who otherwise is serving a 12-year sentence for two counts of vehicular manslaughter in Prince George’s County, Md., pled guilty to one count of tampering with physical evidence, a felony.  In accepting his guilty plea and the plea agreement on which it was based, Judge Anderson sentenced Ronald. Hayes, Jr. to 16 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, to be run concurrently with the sentence he is presently serving in Prince George’s County. Ronald Hayes, Jr., has a projected long-term release date in Maryland in 2025.  If he seeks early parole in Maryland, the guilty plea and sentencing in the District of Columbia could be used to argue for his continued detention.

     “The sentencing in this case holds Romeo Hayes accountable for shooting at two off-duty police officers, taking them by surprise while they were driving in their privately owned vehicles on major streets in Southeast Washington,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “It is fortunate that Detective Stallings, who was shot four times, was not more seriously wounded and that Officer Gaines somehow escaped injury. The sentencing also holds Ronald Hayes, Jr. accountable for his efforts to conceal his brother’s involvement in these senseless but serious and violent crimes.”

     According to the government’s evidence, on Tuesday night, Aug. 12, 2014, Romeo Hayes and Ronald Hayes, Jr., together with several other individuals, were at a home in Glenarden, Md.  Romeo Hayes was consuming tequila and also taking drugs known as “Mollies,” a toxic mixture of laboratory-created or synthetic chemicals that stimulates the central nervous system and causes euphoric highs similar to those created by ecstasy.

     At some point, Romeo Hayes indicated that he wanted to go to a nightclub known as the Opera Ultra Lounge, in the 1400 block of I Street NW.  Accordingly, in the early morning hours of Aug. 13, 2014, Romeo Hayes and another individual left the home to head to the nightclub. Romeo Hayes drove there in a red 2013 Nissan Altima that he knew recently had been stolen from a rental car agency at Ronald Reagan National Airport.  Video footage from the nightclub captured Romeo Hayes and his companion entering the nightclub at about 12:50 a.m.

     Video footage also captured Romeo Hayes and his companion leaving the Opera nightclub at approximately 2:24 a.m.  Because Romeo Hayes had been drinking alcohol, and had consumed drugs known as “Mollies,” as well as some marijuana, the individual who was with Romeo Hayes obtained the car keys to the stolen red 2013 Nissan Altima and assumed the role as driver.  Romeo Hayes sat in the front passenger seat.  Romeo Hayes had a black Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine in the stolen red 2013 Nissan Altima.

     The individual who was with Romeo Hayes started to drive back to the house in Glenarden, Md. As the individual drove outbound on Suitland Parkway in Southeast Washington, in the right lane, just before the exit for Alabama Avenue SE, at about 2:47 a.m., Romeo Hayes fired two or three gunshots from the window adjacent to the front passenger seat.  The gunshots were directed at a white Nissan Maxima occupied by Officer Gaines, who was in the left lane and who was off-duty at the time and driving home.  One of the bullets fired by Romeo Hayes struck the white Nissan Maxima, causing substantial damage to the car.

     Thereafter, with Officer Gaines following behind, the individual who was with Romeo Hayes sped off and drove to Southern Avenue, where – in the left lane – he came to a stop light at the intersection of Southern and Pennsylvania Avenues SE.  In the right lane, also at the stop light, was Detective Stallings, who was alone in a GMC Yukon Denali, and who was off-duty but on his way to work.  From the front passenger seat, Romeo Hayes fired multiple gunshots at Detective Stallings, striking him with a bullet in the left forearm and inflicting significant damage to the driver-side of the GMC Yukon Denali.

     Wounded, Detective Stallings rammed the red 2013 Nissan Altima in an effort to disable it and to prevent the shooter and any other occupants from escaping.  When that occurred, the stolen red Nissan Altima pivoted in front of the GMC Yukon Denali. Romeo Hayes fired an additional volley of shots at Detective Stallings, striking him three additional times in the chest and shoulder area, and also damaging the windshield behind which he sat.

     At the urging of Romeo Hayes, the individual who was with him managed to drive off.  He turned left off of Southern Avenue onto Massachusetts Avenue.  There, in the 4200 block of Massachusetts Avenue SE, just off of Southern Avenue SE, Romeo Hayes again began to shoot at the white Nissan Maxima occupied by off-duty Officer Gaines, who had been following them, who had reported the license tag number for the stolen red Nissan Altima to a 9-1-1 call-taker, and who had witnessed the collision between the Altima and the GMC Yukon Denali at the intersection of Southern and Pennsylvania Avenues SE.

     After this third and last shooting, the individual who was with Romeo Hayes drove rapidly back to the house in Glenarden. He parked near that residence and ran inside, followed by Romeo Hayes.  Inside the residence were Ronald Hayes, Jr., and several other individuals.  The individual who was with Romeo Hayes quietly told Ronald Hayes, Jr., about the shootings, and expressed concern that Romeo Hayes fired gunshots for no apparent reason and may have killed someone.  He also gave Ronald Hayes, Jr., the keys to the red 2013 Nissan Altima

     Romeo Hayes gave the Glock 17 9mm pistol with the extended magazine to his brother, who quickly concealed – and later hid – the gun.  Romeo Hayes and Ronald Hayes, Jr., then began to argue. Their voices were elevated and firm.  Ronald Hayes, Jr., demanded to know exactly what Romeo Hayes had done, and why.  For his part, Romeo Hayes demanded the car keys for the stolen red 2013 Nissan Altima.  Romeo Hayes said he wanted to purchase some gasoline and “blow the car up,” to degrade and devalue it as evidence.  Following several minutes of loud argument, Romeo Hayes obtained the car keys from his brother.

     Romeo Hayes then left and ran back to the stolen red 2013 Nissan Altima, which had suffered significant damage on the passenger side when it was rammed by the GMC Yukon Denali driven by Detective Stallings.  Romeo Hayes drove off, and soon was spotted and followed by the police. Multiple police units, including MPD officers, Prince George’s County Police Department officers, and a United States Park Police helicopter, were involved in the pursuit of the stolen red Nissan Altima.  Romeo Hayes drove at a high rate of speed, and attempted to elude the police during this pursuit.

     The pursuit came to an end in the 5500 block of Hunt Place NE, between 3:45 a.m. and 4 a.m., where Romeo Hayes ultimately was arrested. He has been in custody ever since. Ronald Hayes, Jr., was added as a defendant when the indictment was returned on May 12, 2015.  He was arrested that same night.

     In announcing the acceptance of the guilty pleas and the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, and the Sixth and Seventh Police Districts of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He also commended the work of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the helicopter unit of the U.S. Park Police.  As well, U.S. Attorney Phillips expressed appreciation of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigators Derek Starliper, Durand Odom, and Mark Crawford; Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner; Investigative Analysts Shannon Alexis and Zachary McMenamin; Shawn Slade and Juanita Harris, of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine, Karen P. Seifert, John Marston, Lindsey Merikas, and Jessica Brooks. Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Brittin, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office tonight honored about 200 law enforcement officers, agents and investigators for their outstanding work on dozens of cases that led to the convictions of murderers, terrorists, sexual predators, drug dealers, and other criminals. The event, at the Cannon House Office Building, drew a large crowd of prosecutors and others from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as leaders of numerous law enforcement agencies.

            U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips said the Office’s 33rd Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony recognized the exceptional work performed by honorees on a wide variety of investigations, including those involving violent crimes, narcotics trafficking, fraud and public corruption and national security matters. The efforts represent only a small portion of the remarkable work performed by law enforcement on behalf of the community.

            “The many men and women being honored tonight exemplify the professionalism, dedication and commitment to public service shown by law enforcement throughout our community each and every day,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Their work has led to the arrest and prosecution of criminals operating here and overseas. This ceremony is a way to express our appreciation to the officers and agents on the front lines of justice.”

            The ceremony honored the achievements of people from 20 agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI=s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement partners. Their efforts led to convictions in nearly 50 cases that had an impact locally, nationally, and internationally.

            The honorees included a team from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Montgomery County, Md. Police Department that conducted the investigation of Eric Justin Toth, a former private school teacher and camp counselor who ultimately pled guilty to federal child pornography and other charges. Toth left Washington, D.C., in 2008, amid an investigation that began with the discovery of pornographic images on a school camera that had been in his possession. He was apprehended in 2013 in Nicaragua, pled guilty, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

            A team of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department was honored for the apprehension of a man responsible for a shooting on a busy public street that killed one man and wounded another. Bernard Fleming is now serving a 35-year prison sentence for shooting the victims on July 7, 2012 in the 1700 block of Seventh Street NW. Ballistics evidence indicated that Fleming fired at least 11 shots at the group. The gunfire killed Michael Jones, 30.

            Another MPD team was recognized for work leading to the arrests of the three men responsible for the Aug. 17, 2012 attack of a man in a robbery near the Eastern Market. One of the defendants, Tommy Branch, struck the victim in the head, causing a splintering fracture to his skull. The men stole the victim’s iPhone, keys, and a credit card, and then fled.

            The ceremony also recognized an FBI team that conducted an 18-month-long investigation that led to the dismantling of a major cocaine distribution network in the Washington, D.C. area. The investigation led to large seizures of cocaine, firearms and cash, and the prosecution of 27 people connected to the drug operation. One of the key suppliers, Darnell Antonio Parker, was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for his role in the network.

            Finally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office honored agents and officers from several law enforcement agencies who responded on Sept. 16, 2013 to reports of an active shooter at the Washington Navy Yard. The gunman, Aaron Alexis, killed 12 people and wounded four others before he was fatally shot in a confrontation with law enforcement. The honorees included agents and officers from the Metropolitan Police Department; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Naval Support Activity, Washington; the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Park Police.

WASHINGTON – Four members of a violent crew, ages 16 through 18 and all from Washington, D.C., have been sentenced to prison terms on charges stemming from a series of armed robberies and carjackings that occurred in April 2015, 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), announced today.

            Between April 5 and April 30, 2015, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to commit armed robberies and carjackings. The criminal activities included armed robberies throughout the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Police Districts, as well as in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland. The defendants typically targeted convenience stores and taxicab drivers, wore masks and similar clothing, and used stolen cars to commit their crimes.

            All told, the crimes included six robberies of various 7-Eleven stores in the District of Columbia and District Heights, Md.; the robbery of a restaurant in Northeast Washington; one armed carjacking in the District of Columbia and another in Temple Hills, Md.; two armed robberies of taxi drivers in the District of Columbia; and two high-speed chases throughout the District of Columbia and Maryland.

            Through an extensive law enforcement investigation, the defendants were identified and taken into custody. On June 15, 2015, a grand jury returned a 24-count indictment. All four defendants pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in September 2015.

            The Honorable Anita Josey-Herring sentenced the defendants on Feb. 26, 2016.

            Kraig Brown, 17, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on two counts of armed robbery, one count of robbery, and two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle to facilitate a crime of violence. The Court suspended two years of Brown’s prison sentence on the condition that he completes a period of supervision.

            Dayquan Gore, 18, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on one count of armed robbery, two counts of robbery, and one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle to facilitate a crime of violence. The Court suspended two years of Gore’s prison sentence on the condition that he completes a period of supervision.

            Deangelo Johnson, 16, was sentenced to an 8 ½-year prison term on two counts of armed robbery and two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle to facilitate a crime of violence.

            Davon Sullivan, 18, was sentenced to seven years in prison on one count of armed robbery and one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle to facilitate a crime of violence. The Court suspended three years of the prison time on the condition that Sullivan successfully completes a period of supervision.

            All defendants were under 18 at the time they committed the crimes, and were charged as adults given the serious nature of their crimes.

            At a three-hour sentencing hearing, Judge Josey-Herring heard tearful statements from the victims, including one who had suffered post-traumatic stress after being held up by the defendants. She stated that the defendants either lacked “empath[y]” or were “desperate or greedy.” Ultimately, she declared, they were “victims of [their] own foolishness and bravado.”

            As part of their plea agreements, the defendants admitted participating in various crimes, including these incidents:

            - Armed Robbery of Senior Citizen/Taxicab Driver, April 7, 2015: Brown, Johnson, and Gore pled guilty to crimes arising out of the armed robbery of a taxicab driver. On April 7, 2015, at approximately 10:10 p.m., in the 3500 block of Park Place NW, Brown, Johnson, and Gore were operating a Ford Fusion, which had been stolen two days earlier during a carjacking in Temple Hills, Md. They pulled up on the taxicab driver, who is a senior citizen, and approached him wearing face masks and armed with a black firearm or imitation. They trapped the victim, and he fell over trying to escape. Brown grabbed the victim’s Samsung tablet from him. The defendants all fled in the waiting Ford Fusion, which crashed into another vehicle 10 minutes later at Fifth and Florida Avenues NE. The defendants all fled on foot.

            -Armed Robbery of 7-Eleven, April 21, 2015: Brown and Gore pled guilty to crimes arising out of the armed robbery of a 7-Eleven in the 4400 block of Benning Road NE. On April 21, 2015, in the early morning hours, Brown and Gore, along with a third individual, entered the store. Gore jumped over the counter and demanded that the store clerks open the cash registers. He pointed a black pistol or imitation gun at one of the clerks. The three robbers stole money, cigarettes, and cigarillos, fled the store, and were immediately picked up by a waiting, dark-colored, four-door sedan.

            - Armed Carjacking of a Newspaper Delivery Man, April 21, 2015: Gore pled guilty to crimes arising from an armed carjacking that also occurred on April 21, 2015, at 4:07 a.m., minutes after the 7-Eleven armed robbery, in the 1900 block of R Street SE.  The dark-colored, four-door sedan containing the perpetrators pulled onto the block and stopped near an idling tan Hyundai Santa Fe. The owner of the Santa Fe was delivering the morning newspaper to houses on the street and had stepped away to deliver some of the papers. One individual got out of the four-door sedan and attempted to enter the Hyundai Santa Fe. The victim saw this, and immediately ran back over to the car, grabbed the perpetrator and punched him in the face.

            Thereafter, another individual exited the sedan and pointed a pistol at the victim. The victim ran and ducked for cover. All of the perpetrators fled the scene, some in the sedan and some in the Santa Fe. The stolen Hyundai Santa Fe was then used by the defendants to commit other armed robberies and eventually led police on a high speed chase throughout Washington, D.C. and into Prince George’s County, Md., during which the Santa Fe was crashed and abandoned. Gore was arrested the same day.

            - Armed Robbery of 7-Eleven, April 30, 2015: Brown, Johnson, and Sullivan pled guilty to the armed robbery of another 7-Eleven, this one in the 300 block of Hawaii Avenue NE. On April 30, 2015, at approximately 2:40 a.m., the defendants arrived at the 7-Eleven in a black Chrysler 300, which had been stolen two days earlier during an armed robbery of yet another 7-Eleven store in Prince George’s County, Md. The defendants entered the convenience store wearing black face masks. Brown trained a silver pistol or imitation on the store clerks, while Johnson and Sullivan jumped over the counter, took money out of the cash register, and stole cigarettes and cigarillos.  All three fled into the waiting black Chrysler 300.

            - Armed Robbery of 7-Eleven, April 30, 2015: Brown, Johnson, and Sullivan pled guilty to crimes arising out of a second armed robbery on April 30, 2015 – this time at the 7-Eleven in the 1900 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE. At 2:55 a.m., the defendants, wearing identical clothes and face masks, entered the store armed with the same silver pistol or imitation. Brown again pointed a silver pistol at the store clerk and demanded he open the cash register. Johnson jumped over the counter and emptied the contents of the cash register. Sullivan first robbed a customer, and then jumped the counter and grabbed multiple packs of Newport cigarettes. All three fled the scene in the black Chrysler 300.

            Later in the day on April 30, Brown and Johnson were in the Chrysler 300 when it led police on a high-speed chase throughout Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Brown was driving and eventually crashed the car, causing serious damage.

            Gore was arrested on April 21, 2015. Brown and Johnson were arrested on May 1, 2015.Sullivan was arrested on June 7, 2015. They have been in custody ever since. As part of the plea agreements, the government dismissed charges against the defendants involving the other crimes charged in the indictment. The investigation into other suspects is ongoing.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Chief Lanier praised the work of the officers, detectives and crime scene technicians who worked on the case for the MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Violent Crime Task Force of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which co-led the investigation, as well as the Montgomery County and Prince George’s County police departments, which provided valuable assistance. Finally, they commended the efforts of those who are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Luke M. Jones, who are prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON – Marcus Berry, 20, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a 7 ½-year prison term for the shooting of two victims, which shattered one victim’s knee and left the second victim with a permanent hip injury, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Berry pled guilty in August 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a felony offense of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and a felony offense of aggravated assault. The Honorable Robert I. Richter sentenced him on Feb. 25, 2016. Following his prison term, Berry will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 17, 2012, a teenage girl called her family to report that she was touched and kicked in the buttocks by Berry while walking to the bus stop after leaving school. Her mother and brother went to the area, near the 1500 block of White Place SE, and found the girl there.

            All three approached Berry, who was standing with several other young men. A confrontation ensued, during which Berry’s friend handed him a black pistol.  Berry pointed the gun at the girl’s brother and started shooting. Several shots hit the brother in the hip, causing him to fall to the ground. While the brother was crawling away, Berry continued to shoot at him. The mother ran to help and was shot in the knee by Berry. Berry fled the scene, and was later apprehended by officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Both victims suffered debilitating injuries, and the mother required repeated reconstructive surgeries on her knee.

           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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Long, now of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik Kenerson and Karen P. Seifert, all of whom investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Darrell Best, 46, a former member of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was sentenced today to 18 years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography, one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, and one count of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Best pled guilty in October 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for the 18-year prison sentence. The Honorable Reggie B. Walton accepted the plea today and sentenced Best accordingly. Following his prison term, Best will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. He also will be required by law to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

            In addition to working as a police officer, Best was the head pastor of a church in Southeast Washington. The sexual abuse charges stem from incidents involving two minor females who knew and trusted him through the church. Best pled guilty to second-degree sexual abuse of a minor based on his sexual abuse of one of the girls on Dec. 3, 2014 at MPD Headquarters.  He pled guilty to first-degree sexual abuse of a minor based on his sexual abuse of the other girl on Feb. 14, 2015 while inside the church.

            On March 14, 2015, after one of the girls told her parents about the abuse, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Division began investigating the case. Best was arrested two days later and has been in custody ever since.

            Following Best’s arrest, investigators obtained a search and seizure warrant from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for Best’s cellular phone. A forensic examination of the phone revealed seven images depicting child pornography, which Best had produced using one of the victims.

            “As a police officer and church pastor, Darrell Best was entrusted by the community to help people in need, not exploit them,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “He betrayed the trust placed in him by the two young victims in this case, causing great harm to them and their families. This sentence holds him appropriately accountable for his predatory and criminal conduct.”

            “I am hopeful the sentencing today provides some measure of comfort for these victims and their families,” said Chief Lanier. “Mr. Best used the trust he had built within the community, as a pastor and a police officer, to take advantage of those who relied on him.”

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Lanier commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. In addition, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Paralegal Specialist Donhue Troy Griffith, and Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah D. McClellan and Lindsay Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Kyree Black, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for robbing pedestrians with a BB-gun last fall in a Capitol Hill neighborhood, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Black pled guilty in December 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of robbery and one count of receiving stolen property. The Honorable Anita Josey-Herring sentenced him to a total of 48 months in prison, but suspended 18 of the months on the condition that he successfully complete three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Black robbed three men in the Capitol Hill neighborhood near Nationals Park in Southeast Washington. On Oct. 21, 2015, at approximately 9 p.m., he approached the first victim, who was walking down the sidewalk in the unit block of L Street SE, displayed a gun, and demanded his cell phone.  Fifteen minutes later, and one block away, in the unit block of K Street SE, the defendant found his next victim, who he also approached and robbed of a cell phone at gunpoint.  Then, on Oct. 23, 2015, at about 9:15 p.m., Black again approached a person on the sidewalk in the 900 block of New Jersey Avenue SE, displayed a gun, and robbed the victim of a laptop and a cell phone.  The last robbery was witnessed by an off-duty police officer and the defendant was immediately apprehended.

            The phones from all three victims were found in Black’s pockets, together with a BB-gun that resembled a semi-automatic firearm.  Each of the victims had relinquished their property because they feared for their lives.

            At the sentencing hearing, one victim described the robbery as a “terrible event” and he specifically thanked officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for “the police support I received after this event.”

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the First District Detectives Division, crime scene officers, and the patrol officers in both the First and Seventh Police Districts of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Jennifer Allen of the Victim Witness Unit.  In addition, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dineen A. Baker and Douglas Klein, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Roosevelt Robinson, 67, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder while armed stemming from the shooting death last summer of his cousin, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Robinson pled guilty to the charge in December 2015 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael Ryan. Following his prison term, Robinson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, at approximately 10:35 a.m., Robinson rode his bicycle to the house of his cousin, Loretta Carswell, 63, in the 3700 block of 18th Street NE.  He confronted Ms. Carswell outside, accusing her of stealing a ring from him that he intended to give to his daughter.  This was an ongoing accusation based on a time when Ms. Carswell safeguarded some of Robinson’s valuables.  Every time this issue had been raised, Ms. Carswell denied knowing what Robinson was talking about.

            When Robinson confronted Ms. Carswell on Aug. 21, 2015 and asked her about the ring, Ms. Carswell said she did not have it and gave Robinson a look that he interpreted as dismissive.  Robinson told her: “Girl, you know I should kill you for doing what you did.”  Ms. Carswell responded by saying, “You can go ahead and kill me if you want to, I done told you I don’t have your ring.”  At that point, Robinson pulled out a Ruger .357-caliber Magnum revolver and shot Ms. Carswell one time in the head in front of her home. The bullet entered her forehead.

            Immediately after the shooting, Robinson rode his bicycle down the street to his home in the 3600 block of 18th Street NE.  Robinson barricaded himself inside until the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was able to arrest him approximately 30 hours later.  In an interview with the police, Robinson confessed to shooting his cousin in the head.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, and the Fifth Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Marcia Rinker of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit and Paralegal Specialist Vanessa Trent-Valentine.  He also praised the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Macey, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Claire Elizabeth Rice, 68, of Silver Spring, 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.

            Rice 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 June 3, 2016. As part of the plea agreement, Rice also agreed to pay $16,175, representing her share of illegal proceeds obtained from two health care plans.

            Both offenses were charged in a federal indictment returned in 2014. In her plea, Rice admitted to a statement of offense under oath concerning her conduct. From 2008 through 2013, Rice presented and filled 91 forged prescriptions for drugs, including oxycodone, a synthetic opiate, in the name of a practicing cardiologist with offices in Northwest Washington. Rice was never a patient of this doctor.

            According to the statement of offense, Rice got the prescriptions from her co-defendant, Novella White. White, 53, also known as Novella Brown, of Accokeek, Md., has denied her role in the offenses and is facing a jury trial set for April 18, 2016. White was a former employee of the cardiologist, and according to the doctor, did not have authority to write prescriptions for herself or for Claire Rice. White is charged with presenting forged prescriptions for oxycodone and other drugs in her own name.

            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.

            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 – Francis Davis, 69, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal bank robbery charge for a hold-up at a bank 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 the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Christopher R. Cooper scheduled sentencing for May 9, 2016. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Davis also is subject to a forfeiture money judgment.

            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 guilty plea, 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 – Jason A. Razo, 38, a former background investigator who did work under contract for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), pled guilty today to 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, Deputy Inspector General for the Office of Personnel Management.

           Razo, of Van Nuys, Calif., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to making a false statement. The Honorable Senior Judge Gladys Kessler scheduled sentencing for May 10, 2016. The charge carries a statutory penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. As part of the plea, 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 plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Deputy 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 – Byron Fogan, 43, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison on a federal charge stemming from the embezzlement of over $1 million from a private charitable foundation where he worked as executive director, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Fogan, of Columbia, Md., pled guilty in November 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of money laundering involving the laundering of approximately $220,000 of the proceeds of the embezzlement scheme. He was sentenced on Feb. 19, 2016, by the Honorable Judge Rosemary M. Collyer. Following his prison sentence, Fogan will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay $223,568 in restitution to the charitable foundation as well as a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $223,568.

            According to a statement of offense submitted at the plea hearing, Fogan was the executive director of the Oasis Foundation, a private charitable foundation located in the District of Columbia. The Board of Directors of the Oasis Foundation was comprised of Fogan, a professor, and a priest. The Oasis Foundation’s purpose was to make financial donations to various non-profit and charitable organizations that worked in educational development, innovation in science and technology, the promotion of arts and culture, developing families and strong communities, and the promotion of environmental awareness and protection.

            Fogan enjoyed exclusive access to, and control of, the Oasis Foundation’s finances, including all bank accounts. From on or about Jan. 1, 2011, to at least May 31, 2013, Fogan illegally obtained in excess of $1 million from the Oasis Foundation.  Oasis Foundation accounts were replenished as Fogan continued to spend down the balances in each account.

            Fogan spent at least $1 million of the illegally obtained funds at casinos. Spending the funds in such fashion was contrary to the purpose and mission of the organization. The Board was unaware of such spending, and would not have approved of it. Fogan continued in the unlawful spending of these funds until he was caught by law enforcement.

            Of the numerous illegal transactions Fogan conducted, seven were for amounts in excess of $10,000, which comprise the money laundering charge. These seven transactions totaled $223,568.

            During this time period, the defendant made some legitimate expenditures related to the Oasis Foundation, which resulted in the commingling of funds.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Special Agent in Charge Jankowski and Assistant Director in Charge Abbate commended the work of those who investigated the case from IRS-CI and FBI. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Johnson, Paralegal Specialist Taryn McLaughlin, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia Faruqui, Alessandra Stewart, and Maia L. Miller.

WASHINGTON – Marquell Derrington, 20, and Mark Penamon, 28, both of Washington, D.C., have each been sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges stemming from an armed robbery and armed carjacking in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.

            Derrington and Penamon pled guilty in November 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to carjacking, two counts of armed robbery, and related firearms offenses.  They were sentenced on Feb. 19, 2016 by the Honorable Anita Josey-Herring.  Upon completion of their prison terms, the defendants will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            Derrington and Penamon admitted that, on Oct. 2, 2014, at about 6:50 a.m., they arrived at Derrington’s house via an alley off of the 900 block of I Street NE.  At the mouth of the alley, two of the victims, who are home improvement contractors, were working to set up for a project at a home adjacent to the alley.  As the defendants drove into the alley, they saw the victims in the backyard of the project site, and decided to rob them.  The defendants approached the victims on foot, drew firearms – Derrington’s was a semi-automatic pistol with a lazer mounted on the barrel – and forced the victims to the ground.  The third victim, a colleague of the first two, arrived shortly thereafter, and Derrington pistol-whipped him and commanded him and the other two to face the back wall of the house.  Derrington and Penamon proceeded to hold the victims at gunpoint and rob them of their personal property.  Penamon robbed one of the victim of his truck keys, and, while Derrington held all three victims at gunpoint, Penamon got the truck and drove it immediately next to the robbery location.  Penamon went back to join Derrington in completing the robberies, and then both defendants fled in the victim’s vehicle.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case for 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 former Paralegal Specialist Todd McClelland and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty, Kacie Weston, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Rubenstein.  Finally, he thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Marston and Laura Crane, of the Felony Major Crimes Trial Section, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Donte Thomas, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for an armed robbery he committed last year in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Thomas was found guilty by a jury in November 2015 of charges of armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.  The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  He was sentenced by the Honorable John McCabe.  Following his prison term, Thomas will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the attack took place about 12:30 a.m. on May 13, 2015.  The victim had just gotten off a bus at 18th Street and Alabama Avenue SE and was walking home from work.  As he walked, he felt as if he was being watched.  He then turned around and saw the defendant, a person he had known from childhood, standing behind him and pointing a handgun at him.

            Thomas demanded, “Where the money at?”  The victim dropped his backpack and laid face down on the ground.  Thomas ordered the victim to give him his money and his diamond stud earrings.  A second suspect then made the victim unlock his cell phone with his password.  Thomas then approached the victim, pressed the muzzle of the gun against his head and instructed him not to move.  The assailants then fled on foot.

            The victim remained on the ground for a short period of time before getting up and going to his residence.  Taken from him during the robbery were: his cellphone, stud earrings, LG headphones, a Bluetooth wireless headphone set, book bag, work clothes, $200 in tips from his job, and his keys.  The victim reported the crime the next morning.  Following his interview at the Seventh District Police Station, a detective drove the victim home.  While they were en route, they saw the defendant walking.  Once Thomas saw them, he took off running and a foot chase followed.  Thomas ran into an occupied house and was found hiding in a closet.  A single diamond stud earring was found in his back pocket and the victim’s cell phone was found in the closet where the defendant was sitting.  No one else has been arrested in the case.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the officers and detectives from the Seventh District of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who investigated the case.  He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Daphne Nelson and Gary Nails; Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah C. Santiago, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Frank G. Smith, 34, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault and simple assault for his role in the 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 today.

            Smith was found guilty on Feb. 17, 2016, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Florence Pan scheduled sentencing for April 22, 2016.

            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, the 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 verdict, 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 Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia A. Riley and 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 – An indictment was returned today charging Darron Dellon Dennis Wint with a total of 20 felony charges, including first-degree murder while armed, burglary, kidnapping, extortion, arson, and theft, in the slayings last May of Savvas Savopoulos, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, their son, Philip Savopoulos, and a household employee, Veralicia Figueroa.

            The indictment, returned by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Wint, 35, of Lanham, Md., also known as Daron Dylon Wint, was charged with crimes that took place May 13 and May 14, 2015, during a home invasion of the Savopoulos family residence in Northwest Washington. He is to be arraigned on the charges on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, at a hearing before the Honorable José M. López.

            According to the indictment, Wint entered the Savopoulos home, seized and kidnapped the four victims, stole $40,000 through means of extortion, murdered the victims, and set fire to the house. After responding to reports of the fire, authorities discovered the bodies of Savvas Savopoulos, 46, Amy Savopoulos, 47, Philip Savopoulos, 10, and Veralicia Figueroa, 57.

            Wint was indicted on a total of 12 counts of first-degree murder while armed, all with aggravating circumstances. The charges include four counts of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) in the course of a kidnapping; four counts of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) in the course of a burglary, and four counts of first-degree premeditated murder while armed.  In addition, the grand jury indicted Wint on four counts of kidnapping and one count each of first-degree burglary, extortion, arson, and first-degree theft.

            In addition to the various substantive crimes specified in the indictment, the indictment charges Wint with specified “aggravating circumstances,” including one finding that the murders were especially heinous, atrocious or cruel. If these are found by a jury at trial, Wint could face a maximum of life imprisonment without the possibility of release on each of the 12 murder charges. Each of the murder charges carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 30 years.

            Additionally, each of the kidnapping counts involving the three adult victims carries a maximum sentence of 30 years; the kidnapping count involving Philip Savopoulos carries up to 45 years. First-degree burglary also carries a 30-year maximum prison sentence, and arson, extortion, and first-degree theft have maximum prison terms of 10 years each.

            Wint was arrested May 21, 2015 and has been in custody ever since. He initially was charged with one count of first-degree murder while armed in the death of Savvas Savopoulos.

            The investigation into the murders is continuing.

            An indictment is merely a formal allegation 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 praised the efforts of those who have investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of the many other agencies that have provided assistance, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Prince George’s County, Md., Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.

            They commended the work of those who are handling the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker and Paralegal Specialists Kendra Johnson and Meridith McGarrity.  Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura R. Bach and Emily A. Miller, who are investigating and prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Rehman Mirza, 43, a chiropractor who practiced in Suitland, Md., was sentenced today to  seven months in prison and an additional six months in home confinement after earlier pleading guilty to obstructing a criminal health care fraud investigation, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Mirza, of Woodbridge, Va., pled guilty in May 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson, who found Mirza’s conduct “egregious” and held that he had “abused a position of public trust.” In addition to prison and home confinement, the Court ordered Mirza to pay $48,450 in restitution to the D.C. Medicaid program and to perform 40 hours of community service.

            The underlying fraud involved D.C. Medicaid payments for home care services to be performed by personal care aides, working for home care agencies. Personal care aides, also known as PCAs, are supposed to 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 order to be covered for such benefits, the beneficiaries must get prescriptions from physicians or advanced practice registered nurses. D.C. Medicaid only reimburses for home care services if a physician determines after a physical examination that the beneficiary has functional limitations impairing activities of daily living. The prescriptions, also known as “intakes,” dictate the frequency and duration of the services to be provided. The prescriptions are translated later into plans of care, which also must be signed by the physician.

            In the District of Columbia, a typical prescription, or “intake,” calls for eight hours of personal care services per day for five days per week, or eight hours per day for seven days per week. Over the six-month time span authorized by such a prescription, D.C. Medicaid would pay between $16,952 and $23,732 for personal care services provided to one beneficiary.

            Mirza is licensed as a chiropractor in Maryland and Virginia, but is not licensed as a chiropractor in the District of Columbia, and is not licensed as a physician. He worked at Capital Health LLC, d/b/a Capitol Health Chiropractic in Suitland, Md. He was not authorized to prescribe personal care services, and he was not enrolled as a provider in D.C. Medicaid.

            The scheme: According to a statement of offense, signed by the government as well as the defendant, Mirza and others carried out a scheme to defraud the D.C. Medicaid program from approximately November 2012 through at least June 2013. Personal care aides, working for at least seven home care agencies, brought hundreds of D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries to Mirza, and after brief examinations, Mirza wrote prescriptions and plans of care, listing himself and signing as the “ordering physician” even though he was not a physician and was not legally or medically qualified and could not determine whether the services were medically necessary.

            Seeing D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries and signing their intakes and plans of care became Mirza’s primary source of income. Mirza initially was paid $125 for each D.C. Medicaid beneficiary brought to his office by a personal care aide, but he later increased the size of the cash payments to $200. Mirza’s prescriptions, or “intakes,” typically included a diagnosis such as “chronic severe back pain” and called for services for eight hours a day, seven days a week, for six months. The personal care aides would insist that Mirza write the name of the PCA on the intake before it was sent to the home care agency; it was understood this was so the personal care aides would receive their kickback from the home care agency for each D.C. Medicaid beneficiary the PCA brought to Mirza and then to the home care agency.

            During the course of the fraud scheme, Mirza signed hundreds of prescriptions and plans of care, and in exchange collected at least $48,450 in cash payments from personal care aides. Home care agencies used Mirza’s prescriptions and plans of care to support and justify their claims for payment to Medicaid – even though the paperwork was invalid on its face because it was not prescribed or signed by a physician as required.

            The obstruction: When Mirza was approached by the FBI in his office and questioned about his role, he denied he had any involvement with Medicaid.  After the agents served Mirza with a subpoena for his patient files and other documents, the agents told Mirza they planned to interview his office assistant. After the agents left, Mirza offered to drive his assistant home. During that car ride, Mirza attempted to obstruct the government’s investigation, by attempting to influence his 22-year-old assistant’s statements to the FBI, telling the assistant not to use certain words, encouraging and suggesting that she not be fully truthful, and ensuring that their stories would match so that Mirza would not be “implicated” by his assistant.  For example, Mirza tried to convince his assistant they had nothing to do with Medicaid and instructed the assistant not to say the word “Medicaid” at least ten times during the course of their 45-minute conversation.

            This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Radway, and was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Radway and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dangkhoa Nguyen. Assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Corinne Kleinman.

            The FBI has set up a hotline number to report suspected incidents of Medicaid fraud: 855-281-1242. People can also provide information by e-mail to [email protected].

            Numerous agencies are participating in the broader investigation into Medicaid fraud, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Secret Service; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General; the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Office of Inspector General, Department of Labor; and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

WASHINGTON – Ravi Singit, 41, of Rockville, Md., has been sentenced to 28 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of 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).

            Singit pled guilty in November 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on Feb. 11, 2016, by the Honorable Senior Judge John D. Bates. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 15 years upon his release from prison.

            According to the government's evidence, on Aug. 26, 2015, Singit contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, who had posted an ad on a social network site.  Over the next several days, Singit engaged in e-mail, phone, and text message conversations with the undercover officer, whom the defendant believed had access to a purported under-age girl. During this period of time, Singit arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child.

            On Aug. 31, 2015, Singit traveled from Maryland to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C.  When he arrived at the meeting place, he was arrested.

            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 commended the efforts Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassidy Kesler Pinegar, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Charles Young, 35, of Washington D.C., pled guilty today to sexually abusing seven different male students at Dunbar Senior High School, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  The abuse occurred between January 2013 and May 2014, during which time the defendant worked at Dunbar as a business manager and assistant track coach.

            Young pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to seven felony counts of sexual abuse, including first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, attempted first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, and multiple counts of attempted second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.  Each of the seven counts concerns a different victim.  Upon release, Young will be required to register as a sexual offender for the remainder of his life.  The Honorable Robert E. Morin has scheduled a sentencing hearing to take place on April 22, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, from 2012 to 2014, Young was employed as Dunbar’s business manager and was responsible for managing the school’s finances.  Although he did not teach any classes, he served as a senior class advisor, designed and distributed Dunbar school apparel, volunteered as an assistant boys’ track coach, and held other responsibilities that regularly put him in contact with students.

            Between January 2013 and May 2014, Young sexually abused seven male students, all between the ages of 14 and 17 years old.  All the incidents occurred on the Dunbar campus, which is located in the 100 block of N Street NW.  In one incident that occurred in the fall of 2013, a 15-year-old came to Young’s office to borrow a shirt to wear at basketball practice. Young led the boy into a closet next to his office that contained Dunbar apparel, closed the door, and eventually began performing oral sex on the student.  In another incident that occurred in February or March 2013, a 17-year-old came to Young’s office to pay school fees.  Once alone with the student, Young had him lift his shirt and pull down his pants and underwear purportedly so that he could show the student, who was an athlete, muscle groups he needed to strengthen. Young had the student pull down his pants and underwear, began touching the student’s penis with his hand, and pressed his mouth to the student’s penis.

            On multiple occasions, Young used his position as a track coach to sexually abuse his juvenile victims.  In one incident in November 2013, Young brought a 16-year-old to an empty bathroom after track practice, purportedly to provide him some additional one-on-one coaching.  Inside the bathroom, he began touching the student on his stomach, pointing out muscle groups the defendant claimed needed work.  Young gradually began lowering the student’s shorts before grabbing the boy’s penis and attempting to pull it out of his pants.  In a separate incident that occurred in January or February of 2014, Young called a 14-year-old to his office to try on the new track team uniforms.  After the student disrobed, Young began touching the student’s abdomen, pointing out exercises he could do to deepen his abdominal muscles.  Young began touching the student near his groin and began pulling the student’s underwear down, exposing his penis. He then touched the boy’s penis with his hand.

            The defendant would also voice concerns about student hygiene as a ploy to sexually abuse them.  On multiple occasions, Young, while alone with a male student, would claim that the student smelled bad, apply hand sanitizer or lotion to his hand, and begin rubbing the boy’s abdomen, claiming that he was getting rid of the smell.  Young would then attempt to reach into the boy’s pants and touch his penis.

            The abuse came to light in November 2014 when one of the students reported to Dunbar administrators that the defendant had sexually abused him.  That student’s disclosure triggered an investigation that ultimately uncovered seven different students whom Young had sexually abused over the span of just three school semesters.  Young has been in custody since his arrest in November 2014.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Lanier commended the work performed by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. They also recognized the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins, Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Litigation Technical Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown, Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key, Criminal Investigators John Marsh and Mark Fitzgerald, former Legal Interns Stephanie Dinan and Emma MacArthur, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb and Sarah McClellan.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Lazarus, who conducted much of the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Park and Julianne Johnston, who are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Cephus Hollis, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 17 years in prison on numerous charges stemming from two violent carjackings in Northeast Washington within a four-day period, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Hollis was found guilty by a jury in November 2015 of a total of 15 charges, including assault with intent to kill while armed, armed carjacking, and aggravated assault of a senior citizen while armed. The verdicts followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Following completion of his prison term, Hollis is to be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the evidence presented at trial, Hollis and a co-conspirator went out on the evening of Sept. 7, 2014 to steal cars in the Riggs Park neighborhood of Northeast Washington and surrounding areas.  After stealing their first car that night, they used it to drive around and steal or attempt to steal numerous other cars.

            In the early morning hours of Sept. 8, 2014, Hollis and the co-conspirator saw a 62-year-old man delivering copies of the Washington Post, and followed him as he did this for several stops.  At one stop, in the 5800 block of Eastern Avenue NE, the newspaper delivery man got out of his car to throw a paper onto the doorstep. Hollis then got into the front seat. Hollis assumed the victim had left the keys in the ignition. The victim had not, and when he returned to the car, Hollis confronted him and demanded the keys. When the victim would not surrender the keys, Hollis punched and kicked him, and the co-conspirator joined in.  They beat the victim until they broke his wrist, dislocated his shoulder, broke the orbital bones around his eye, and caused other injuries. Then, after they beat him, they took the cars he was using to make the deliveries. A few days later, that car ran out of gas and was abandoned in the middle of the street.  Fingerprints recovered from it matched the defendant and the co-conspirator.

            Four days later on Sept. 12, 2014, at about 5 p.m., Hollis ordered Chinese food to be delivered to his own house in the 400 block of Oneida Street NE.  When the delivery driver arrived, he parked in front of the house and called Hollis, who acknowledged ordering the food.  As the driver walked up to Hollis’s porch, Hollis came out of the house. Without saying anything, Hollis stabbed the driver in the head.  The driver fell to the ground and Hollis kept stabbing him.  The driver somehow broke free and fled to his car. He locked the door, hoping the car would keep him safe.  But as he looked out the car window, he saw that Hollis had his car keys and was walking towards the car.  Using the electronic key fob, Hollis unlocked the car.  The driver locked the car again, smearing his own blood over the controls as he did so.  Hollis, however, kept coming and unlocked the car again, got inside, and resumed stabbing the driver.

            The driver got out of the car. Hollis got out, too, ran around the car, and stabbed the driver again.  In total, the driver was stabbed at least seven times, including to the head, face, chest, hands, and arms.  In addition to his numerous lacerations and puncture wounds, the victim sustained a partially collapsed lung.  Hollis then fled in the delivery driver’s car, which was recovered the next day.  DNA evidence tying Hollis to the crime was recovered from inside the car.  A phone later recovered from Hollis’s pocket was shown to have placed the call ordering the food, and received the call from the delivery driver when he arrived with the food.

            Hollis has been in custody in this case since his arrest in May 2015. At sentencing, prosecutors sought a significant period of incarceration, noting the gruesome nature of the attacks and pointing out that Hollis has shown no remorse for his actions.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Fourth Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Special Agents from the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force. He also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle and Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Lead Paralegal Specialist Kwasi Fields; Paralegal Supervisors Darline Douglas and Anthony Griffith; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim; Intelligence Analysts Shannon Alexis and Sharon Johnson; Information Technology Specialists Aneela Bhatia, Anisha Bhatia, Paul Howell, Claudia Gutierrez, Jeanie Latimore-Brown, William Henderson, and Leif Hickling; Criminal Investigators Nelson Rhone and Chris Brophy; Elizabeth Trosman, Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Rickard and John Mannarino of the Appellate Division; and Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation. Finally, he praised the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Bruckmann and Katherine Earnest, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Jeremiah Juwley, 30, formerly of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to sexually assaulting a woman in 2002, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Juwley pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to attempted first-degree sexual abuse. The plea, which is subject to the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of 16 years in prison. The Honorable José M. López scheduled sentencing for April 8, 2016. Upon his release from prison, Juwley  is to be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 2002, the victim, then 22, was walking alone to a friend's home on 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 December 2015.

            In announcing the plea, 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 – Edwin A. Henriquez, 36, formerly of Hempstead, N.Y., has been sentenced to a prison term of five years and eight months on a federal charge stemming from his participation in a drug trafficking ring, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.

            Henriquez pled guilty on Feb. 19, 2008, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Following his plea, he was released on personal recognizance with a number of conditions, including that he maintain contact with authorities. However, in June 2008, law enforcement was no longer aware of his whereabouts. In July 2008, a warrant was issued for Henriquez’s arrest. He was apprehended on July 1, 2015 in the Dominican Republic and extradited to the United States.

            Henriquez was sentenced on Feb. 9, 2016 by the Honorable John D. Bates. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, in January 2008, Henriquez traveled from New York to Atlanta, Ga., to purchase two kilograms of cocaine. He paid a total of $40,000 for the cocaine, including $30,000 from a co-conspirator and $10,000 of his own money. He then packaged the drugs in a hidden compartment inside of a VCR and purchased a train ticket to return to and deliver the cocaine to New York. On Jan. 17, 2008, a detective with the Amtrak Police Department was on duty and noticed that Henriquez made the train ticket reservation from Atlanta to New York in a suspicious manner.  He provided the defendant’s name and train car number to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On Jan. 18, 2008, while the train was at Union Station in Washington, D.C., MPD officers went to Henriquez’s sleeper car. After a brief conversation, Henriquez gave the officers permission to search the sleeper car and his bag.  The officers searched the bag and discovered the cocaine, leading to Henriquez’s arrest.

            Following his disappearance from the United States, Henriquez was tracked by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to the Dominican Republic. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs assisted in securing his extradition to the United States, and he was returned to Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Marshals Service.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, the Amtrak Police Department, the New York and Washington, D.C. offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Marshals Service. He expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs as well as the government of the Dominican Republic. Finally, he praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela S. George, of the office’s Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Wesley Breeden, 30, of Springfield, Va., pled guilty today to 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 entered the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  The Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan is to sentence him on April 25, 2016. Breeden faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000.

            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 course of the next several days, Breeden engaged in e-mail and text-messaging conversations with the undercover officer, whom the defendant believed was the father of an under-aged girl. During the course of these conversations, Breeden arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child.

            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 guilty plea, 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 is prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Bryan D. Wright, 53, of Laytonsville, Md., pled guilty today to taking part in a scheme in which he paid kickbacks to an executive with an investment banking firm in return for construction management contracts, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            In addition, Wright admitted taking part in a related scheme in which he submitted invoices for work that was not performed.

            Wright pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Conspiracy to engage in wire fraud carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and conspiracy to engage in money laundering carries up to 10 years. Both charges also carry potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Wright faces a likely range of 27 to 33 months in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The Honorable Amy Berman Jackson is to sentence Wright at a date to be determined later.

            The plea agreement calls for Wright to pay restitution to the investment banking firm. He also must pay a forfeiture money judgment of $623,347, representing his share of the illegal proceeds generated by the schemes.  The plea agreement further calls for Wright to forfeit his interest in assets seized as part of the investigation, including $320,227.13 from bank accounts and six rare coins.

            According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Wright is the president of P&E Services, a company used in furtherance of the scheme.

            The statement of offense describes these activities from 2011 through 2013:

            In mid-2011, Wright was contacted by a person described in court documents as “Co-Conspirator 1.” This person was a vice president in the Washington, D.C. office of an investment banking firm and oversaw the firm’s real estate development investments in the regional area. In that role, “Co-Conspirator 1” was authorized to approve construction-related invoices.

            Over the months that followed, “Co-Conspirator 1” steered construction management contracts to Wright, tied to a commercial development project in Hanover, Md.  Between October 2011 and May 2013, “Co-Conspirator 1” authorized $760,609 in payments from the investment banking firm to Wright’s company, P&E Services. Additionally, “Co-Conspirator 1” directed a general contracting company hired for the project to make payments to P&E Services; the contractor paid P&E Services $417,708 between January 2012 and January 2013. The investment banking firm reimbursed the contractor for the money that was paid to P&E Services.

            In total, Wright and P&E Services received approximately $1,178,317 in payments from the investment banking firm and general contracting company. In turn, Wright paid “Co-Conspirator 1” approximately $588,622 of the funds, retaining the other $589,695.

            In a related scheme, Wright conspired with “Co-Conspirator 1” to submit three phony invoices to the investment banking firm. Wright received $114,003 from this scheme. He paid “Co-Conspirator 1” $80,351 of these proceeds, retaining the other $33,652.

            Wright retained a total of $623,347 from his participation in the two schemes.

            No other charges have been filed in the investigation, which is ongoing.

            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 expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris and C. Rosalind Pressley and Legal Assistants Angela Lawrence and John Lowell. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Last and Zia Faruqui, who are investigating and prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or local charges against an officer from the Metro Transit Police who was involved in the fatal shooting of Bobby Gross last year in the middle of a Metro tunnel that runs between the Stadium Armory and Potomac Avenue stations.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Metro Transit Police conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included interviews of over a dozen law enforcement and civilian witnesses; physical evidence collected on the scene; Metro Transit video footage and diagrams; DNA, ballistics and forensics evidence; the autopsy and toxicology reports; photographs, and other evidence.  After this thorough review, the U.S. Attorney’s Office concluded that the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer who was involved in the shooting used excessive force or possessed the requisite criminal intent at the time of the events.

            According to the evidence, the shooting took place at 9:06 p.m. on March 12, 2015. The Metro Transit Police officer was dispatched to the Potomac Avenue station to respond to a report of an unauthorized person inside one of the Metro tunnels. Metro personnel had seen the individual, later-identified as Mr. Gross, running through the tunnels between the two stations wearing a T-shirt, boxer shorts, no shoes, sweating profusely, and carrying a large branch.

            Once inside the tunnel, the officer encountered Mr. Gross.  The two were face-to-face on an elevated 21-inch catwalk that is adjacent to the tracks – including a 750-volt “third rail” – on which the Metro trains run.  The officer greeted Mr. Gross but he did not reply. When they were within 10 feet of one another, Mr. Gross pulled out a large branch from behind his back, which was later determined to be three feet long, 2.5 inches wide, and approximately three pounds. He held the branch waist high, pointing it at the officer as he continued to advance. Mr. Gross did not comply with the officer’s order to drop the branch and instead advanced more rapidly. Train marker signs protruding from the walls prevented the officer from safely backing up without risking hitting a sign and falling onto the live wire. Drawing a firearm, the officer warned, “Drop the stick or I’ll shoot you!” Mr. Gross continued to advance and the officer fired one round. Mr. Gross then began to sprint toward the officer, who fired three more times. Mr. Gross then used his body weight to thrust the branch at the officer, striking the officer in the hands and arms. The officer fired one more round, and Mr. Gross fell to the tracks. Mr. Gross, 35, was shot a total of five times, with injuries to his chest, abdomen, trunk, chin, and palm.

            Under the applicable federal criminal civil rights laws, prosecutors must establish beyond a reasonable doubt not only that an officer’s use of force was excessive, but also that the officer willfully deprived an individual of a constitutional right.  Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden, and means that it must be proven that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids.  Accident, mistake, fear, negligence and bad judgment do not establish such a criminal violation.  After a careful, thorough and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer used excessive force under the circumstances known at the time or acted with the requisite criminal intent.  Accordingly, the investigation into this incident has been closed without prosecution.

          The Justice Department 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.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that MCC Construction Company (MCC) has agreed to pay $1,769,294 in criminal penalties and forfeiture for conspiring to commit fraud on the United States by illegally obtaining government contracts that were intended for small, disadvantaged businesses.

            The court agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; Assistant Attorney General William J. Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Peggy E. Gustafson, Inspector General for the Small Business Administration (SBA); Carol Fortine Ochoa, Inspector General of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA); Brian J. Reihms, Special Agent in Charge of the Central Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU).

            “This prosecution shows that there will be consequences for companies that violate federal contracting rules meant to assist small, disadvantaged businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “MCC Construction Company secured millions of dollars in contracts by hiding behind two small businesses that did not perform labor on the projects. Its conduct took away opportunities that could have gone to companies that truly are socially and economically disadvantaged and deserving of the work.”

            “This conspiracy defrauded the government and denied small, disadvantaged businesses the opportunity to compete to do business with the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Baer of the Antitrust Division. “We will continue to work with U.S. Attorney Phillips and his talented colleagues to protect the integrity of the government contracting process.”

            “An uneven marketplace is created when businesses engage in illegal backroom deals to fraudulently obtain government contracts, placing competitors at an unfair disadvantage,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “In this case, the FBI and our partners moved to protect the American taxpayer and ensure the integrity of the process.  Together, we will continue to work to protect federal contract opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses within our communities from unlawful conduct.”

            “Fraudulently passing work through eligible small businesses to a large business does not provide taxpayers the best value and certainly does not support the role of small businesses as engines of economic development and job creation.  In fact, it subverts the purpose of SBA’s preferential contracting programs and harms the small businesses the programs are designed to assist,” said SBA Inspector General Gustafson.  “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their leadership and dedication to serving justice.”

            “We will continue our work on behalf of taxpayers and legitimate small business owners to expose and punish nationwide small business fraud schemes such as this,” said GSA Inspector General Ochoa.

             “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is committed to working with our partner agencies to combat fraud impacting the Department of Defense's vital programs and operations and maintain the integrity of the procurement system," said Special Agent in Charge Reihms.

            “This settlement is a testament to our steadfast and continued commitment to working closely with our law enforcement partners in rooting out this type of activity, " said Director Robey.

            MCC was a construction management company and general contractor headquartered in Colorado.

            A criminal Information was filed last month in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging MCC with one count of knowingly and willfully conspiring to commit major fraud on the United States.  MCC waived the requirement of being charged by way of federal indictment, agreed to the filing of the Information, and accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct and that of its employees. U.S. District Judge Ketanji B. Jackson accepted the company’s guilty plea today. The plea agreement is subject to the Court’s approval at a sentencing hearing scheduled for March 15, 2016.

            According to court documents, MCC conspired with two companies that were eligible to receive federal government contracts set aside for small, disadvantaged businesses with the understanding that MCC would, illegally, perform all of the work.  In so doing, MCC was able to win 27 government contracts worth over $70 million from 2008 to 2011.  The scope and duration of the scheme resulted in a significant number of opportunities lost to legitimate small and disadvantaged businesses.

            Under the illegal agreement, the companies awarded these government contracts were allowed to keep 3 percent of the value of the contracts for allowing MCC to use the companies small business status to win the contracts.

            Court documents state that MCC violated the provisions of the SBA 8(a) program.  The SBA 8(a) development program is designed to award contracts to businesses that are owned by “one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.”  To qualify for the 8(a) program, a business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by a U.S. citizen (or citizens) of good character who meet the SBA’s definition of socially and economically disadvantaged.  The firm must also be a small business (as defined by the SBA) and show a reasonable potential for success.  Participants in the 8(a) program are subject to regulatory and contractual limits. Also, under the program, the disadvantaged business is required to perform a certain percentage of the work.  For the types of contracts under investigation here, the SBA 8(a)-certified companies were required to perform 15 percent or more of the work with its own employees.

            MCC, along with the two 8(a) companies used to illegally obtain the contracts, engaged in and executed a scheme to defraud the SBA by, among other things:

• Allowing the two 8(a) companies to retain a guaranteed percentage of each contract for simply obtaining the contracts for MCC;
• Allowing the two 8(a) companies to perform no labor on these projects;
• Performing the accounting and government reporting for the two 8(a) companies on certain projects;
• Falsely representing to the government that MCC employees were in fact employees of the 8(a) companies;
• Obtaining certain contracts on behalf of the 8(a) companies without first informing those 8(a) companies prior to bidding; and
• Conspiring with the 8(a) companies to hire straw employees for the 8(a) companies whose labor and salaries were paid for by MCC.

            For the contracts obtained through this scheme on which MCC made a profit, MCC’s profit was at least $1,269,294. The criminal penalty in this case includes a $500,000 fine and a forfeiture money judgment of $1,269,294.

            The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Inspector General for the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Inspector General of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the Central Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU).

             The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Graves and John Marston of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Assistant Chief Craig Y. Lee and Trial Attorneys Kevin B. Hart and Justin P. Murphy of the Antitrust Division.

WASHINGTON – The former director of switchboard operations at the White House pled guilty today to a charge of theft of government property for a scheme in which she stole over $5,000 through altered time and attendance records, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Andrea Turk, 46, of Upper Marlboro, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Senior Judge Gladys Kessler scheduled sentencing for April 20, 2016.  The charge, a felony, carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under the advisory federal sentencing guidelines, Turk faces up to six months of incarceration and a fine of up to $20,000. She has agreed to pay restitution as well as a forfeiture money judgment of $5,015.

            According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Turk was the director of switchboard operations at the White House from October 2009 until her termination in August 2013. She was responsible for managing approximately 15 switchboard operators, including oversight of their work schedules and approval of overtime hours. Additionally, she was responsible for final entry and approval of all time and attendance records of the switchboard operators, including one identified in court documents as “Employee A.”

            Beginning at least as early as June 2, 2012, through July 27, 2013, Turk used her supervisory position to alter the time and attendance records of “Employee A” to reflect overtime hours that were not actually worked. In turn, “Employee A” paid Turk money generated through the scheme. Over that time-frame, “Employee A” was paid approximately $12,475 for 396 overtime hours, but only actually worked and legitimately earned less than approximately 50 of these hours. As a result, “Employee A” received approximately $10,900 in overtime pay from the United States government to which “Employee A” was not entitled. “Employee A” thereafter paid approximately $5,015 to Turk, mostly through a series of bank transfers.

            No other charges were filed in the investigation.

            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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who assisted with forfeiture issues. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Last, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

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

The guilty plea 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 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.   

“Eccleston admitted that he attempted 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.  “Protecting our national assets from cyber intrusions is one of our highest priorities.  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.”

“This prosecution underscores our commitment to prosecute those who carry out or plan cyber-attacks against our government, whether they are in the United States or in remote locations overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips.  “Thanks to the work of the FBI, this former federal employee was arrested before he could do any damage and he now is being held accountable for actions that could have threatened our national security.”

“Charles Harvey Eccleston is a former U.S. Government employee who, motivated by greed, was thwarted in his attempt to sell information to a foreign intelligence service to enable a cyber-attack against our information systems,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “Today’s guilty plea is a testament to the dedication of the FBI and prosecutorial team, along with our federal and foreign partners, to relentlessly pursue and bring to justice an individual who sought to misuse his position to betray the country.”

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 charge of attempted unauthorized access and intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties.  Under the advisory federal sentencing guidelines, Eccleston faces a prison term of 24 to 30 months and a fine of up to $95,000.  Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District of Columbia is scheduled for April 18, 2016.

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.

Eccleston Plea Agreement

Eccleston Statement of Offense

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

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

            Eccleston pleaded guilty 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.  

            “This prosecution underscores our commitment to prosecute those who carry out or plan cyber-attacks against our government, whether they are in the United States or in remote locations overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips.  “Thanks to the work of the FBI, this former federal employee was arrested before he could do any damage and he now is being held accountable for actions that could have threatened our national security.”

            “Eccleston admitted that he attempted 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.  “Protecting our national assets from cyber intrusions is one of our highest priorities.  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 Ecceleston is a former U.S. Government employee who, motivated by greed, was thwarted in his attempt to sell information to a foreign intelligence service to enable a cyber-attack against our information systems,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate.  “Today’s guilty plea is a testament to the dedication of the FBI and prosecutorial team, along with our federal and foreign partners, to relentlessly pursue and bring to justice an individual who sought to misuse his position to betray the country.”

            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 charge of attempted unauthorized access and intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties.  Under the advisory federal sentencing guidelines, Eccleston faces a prison term of 24 to 30 months and a fine of up to $95,000.  Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District of Columbia is scheduled for April 18, 2016.

            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 – Vineet Kalucha, 51, an investment fund manager from Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to obstructing justice in an investigation into his business activities that was being conducted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Kalucha pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer scheduled sentencing for June 6, 2016. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under the sentencing guidelines, the parties have agreed that he faces a likely range of 10 to 16 months in prison and a potential fine of $3,000 to $30,000.

            A business partner, George Palathinkal, 54, of Singapore, pled guilty in March 2015 to a federal charge of perjury. He is awaiting sentencing before Judge Collyer.

            According to the government’s evidence, Kalucha formed Aphelion Fund Management LLC (“Aphelion Management”) in 2012 and was its majority owner, partner and chief investment officer. Palathinkal was the general partner and chief financial officer. The company served as the investment adviser and general partner for two unregistered hedge funds (known as “the Aphelion Funds”).

            In 2013, according to the government’s evidence, Kalucha, Palathinkal, and Aphelion Management began soliciting new investors for the Aphelion Funds. Kalucha subsequently provided potential investors with marketing materials for Aphelion Management, using inaccurate performance statistics. Among other things, he altered a report prepared by an accounting firm hired by Aphelion Management to review prior investment performance and caused this report to be sent to prospective investors.

            The accounting firm became aware of the misrepresentations and demanded that Kalucha cease distributing the altered report and that he provide notice to those who received it. He incorrectly reported back to the firm that only one copy of the altered report had been distributed.

            The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began an investigation of Aphelion Management in January 2014, including an investigation into the propriety and reasonableness of payments from Aphelion Management to Kalucha.  Kalucha provided investigative testimony before the SEC on Feb. 25, 2014. Among other things, he testified that he had entered into a written promissory note for “about $350,000” with Aphelion Management. Kalucha later told Palathinkal that he had testified before the SEC that there were written promissory notes covering loans that the two of them had purportedly taken from Aphelion Management.

            Knowing that these notes did not exist, Kalucha told Palathinkal that he would have Aphelion Management’s outside counsel prepare such written loan documents. Kalucha and Palathinkal later signed two such documents, both said to be promissory notes. One purportedly showed a loan of up to $350,000 for Kalucha and the other was for a loan of up to $200,000 for Palathinkal.  Although these documents were actually signed in early March 2014, they were dated January 1, 2013.  Kalucha and Palathinkal provided these documents to the SEC.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Assistant Director in Charge Abbate commended the work of those who investigated the case for the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the SEC. They acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Document Management Analyst John Lowell and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Seeley. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Rickey Jones, also known as Heritage Rickey Jones, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for the shooting death of a man last year in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Jones pled guilty in October 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of voluntary manslaughter and carrying a pistol without a license. The plea, which was contingent on the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 10 years in prison. The Honorable Robert E. Morin accepted the plea today and sentenced Jones accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, Jones will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014, Jones and the victim, Kirk Perry, 50, got into verbal arguments in the 2400 block of Elvans Road SE over Mr. Perry’s dog.  During those arguments, Jones said, “I got a 4-5 with an extended clip for your dog.”  Mr. Perry and a family member left the area and went to a nearby laundromat.

            About three hours after the argument, Mr. Perry returned to his apartment complex.  While bringing laundry into the apartment, he again saw Jones outside.  After a mutual associate approached Mr. Perry and suggested that he speak with Jones, Mr. Perry returned outside in hopes of settling their dispute.  At approximately 12:35 a.m., on Dec. 1, 2014, Mr. Perry had a conversation with Jones that occurred in between two parked cars in a parking lot of the apartment complex on Elvans Road where they both resided.  At the time of that conversation, Mr. Perry had a firearm tucked into his waistband.

            Jones, armed with a pistol, fired at Mr. Perry and Mr. Perry was struck multiple times.  When Mr. Perry fell to the ground face down, Jones continued firing his weapon.  Mr. Perry suffered 13 gunshot wounds, including two in his back.  When medical and law enforcement personnel arrived, they transported Mr. Perry to a nearby medical facility where Mr. Perry was pronounced dead.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, and the Seventh Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the D.C. 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 Jennifer Clark; Victim/Witness Security Specialist Tanya Via; Paralegal Specialists Zekiah Wright and Debra Joyner; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalia Medina. Finally, he praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Eckert, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Isaac Williams, 63, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to an eight-year prison term for an armed robbery of two armored car guards at a store in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Williams pled guilty in October 2015, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of interference with interstate commerce by robbery.  He was sentenced on Jan. 21, 2016, by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss. Following his prison term, Williams will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of July 21, 2010, Williams, while armed with a firearm and assisted by two accomplices, entered a CVS store in the 500 block of 12th Street SE.  Once inside, Williams robbed two armored car security guards who were servicing a TD Bank ATM machine inside the store. Williams and his accomplices took $38,120 from the guards. The next day, Williams used a portion of the stolen money to purchase a 1998 Ford Expedition. Williams was indicted in April 2015 after having been released from prison for violating the terms of his supervised release for two prior convictions. As part of his sentence, Williams was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $38,120 to TD Bank and to forfeit the vehicle he purchased with the proceeds of the robbery.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the FBI’s Washington Field Office 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 Samantha Prinsen, former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kent, who indicted the matter, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Whitted and Christopher Macchiaroli, of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Two Maryland residents pleaded guilty today for their involvement in a far-reaching stolen identity refund fraud scheme in which they worked with others to seek over $700,000 in income tax refunds through the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

            Michael Whittaker, 31, of Cumberland, Maryland, and Wayne Gardner, 49, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, are among approximately 18 participants in this scheme who have pleaded guilty to charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  According to court documents, the overall case involves the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns that sought refunds of at least $42 million. The two men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public money and one count of theft of public money.

            The charges carry statutory maximum prison terms of five years and 10 years, respectively, as well as potential financial penalties.  As part of the plea agreements, Whittaker and Gardner agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amounts of $397,090 and $158,160, respectively, which represent that value of the U.S. Treasury checks that were negotiated as a result of their conduct.  U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle set sentencing for May 18, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, Whittaker and Gardner participated in a massive and sophisticated stolen identity refund fraud scheme that involved an extensive network of more than 130 people, many of whom were receiving public assistance.  The refunds were sought for tax years 2005 through 2012, often in the names of people, whose identities had been stolen, including the elderly, people in assisted living facilities, drug addicts and incarcerated prisoners.  Returns were also filed in the names of, and refunds were issued to, 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, Whittaker and Gardner obtained the means of identification of third parties, including names and social security numbers and provided them to a co-conspirator for use in the preparation of fraudulent income tax returns.  Whittaker admitted to providing 21 means of identification from August 2010 to May 2012.  He also permitted various residential addresses that he controlled to be used as purported taxpayer addresses for the delivery of tax refund checks and deposited U.S. Treasury checks that were received as part of this scheme into his bank accounts.  Gardner admitted to providing 65 means of identification to a co-conspirator between August and December 2010.  Whittaker admitted that he was involved in the filing of 135 fraudulent tax returns that sought refunds of approximately $494,902.  Gardner admitted that he was involved in the filing of 116 fraudulent tax returns that sought refunds of approximately $299,984.

            The fraudulent tax returns that were filed as part of the scheme included Schedules C or C-EZ that falsely claimed that each “taxpayer” operated a business, such as “barber” or “childcare,” as a sole proprietorship.  The returns falsely stated that the “taxpayer” had gross receipts and two or more dependent children, when, in fact, the “taxpayer” was either a victim of identity theft, was misled into providing his or her identifying information, or was a willing participant in the scheme.

            In announcing the pleas, 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 of the District of Columbia, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Schornstein and Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo and Julie Dailey.  Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of 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 – A resident of the District of Columbia was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his involvement in a far-reaching stolen identity refund fraud scheme in which he worked with others to obtain over $315,000 in income tax refunds through the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns, 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 the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

            Ezekiel Raspberry, 39, is among approximately 16 participants in this scheme who have pleaded guilty to charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  According to court documents, the overall case involves the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns that sought refunds of at least $42 million.  Raspberry pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, 2015, to conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to claims.  Following his prison term, Raspberry will be placed on three years of supervised release. During that time, he must perform 100 hours of community service.  In addition, U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle of the District of Columbia ordered Raspberry to pay $315,076 in restitution to the IRS.

            According to the government’s evidence, Raspberry participated in a massive and sophisticated stolen identity refund fraud scheme that involved an extensive network of more than 130 people, many of whom were receiving public assistance.  The refunds were sought for tax years 2005 through 2012, often in the names of people, whose identities had been stolen, including the elderly, people in assisted living facilities, drug addicts and incarcerated prisoners.  In other cases, the refunds 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 September 2008 through November 2010, Raspberry and others conspired to defraud the IRS of approximately $315,076 through the filing of 145 fraudulent federal income tax returns.  Raspberry received refund checks from a co-conspirator and deposited them into his bank account.  He would then withdraw the funds and provide them to the co-conspirator, keeping a portion of the proceeds for himself.

            The refund checks were generated by filing false federal income tax returns that included Schedules C or C-EZ that falsely claimed that each “taxpayer” operated a business, such as “barber” or “childcare,” as a sole proprietorship.  The returns falsely stated that the “taxpayer” had gross receipts and two or more dependent children, when, in fact, the “taxpayer” was either a victim of identity theft, was misled into providing his or her identifying information, or was a willing participant in the scheme.  The businesses listed on the Schedules C and C-EZ were entirely fictitious.

            In a related case this week, Rashida King, 41, of Savannah, Georgia, pleaded guilty on Jan. 14 to conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to claims.  According to court documents, King deposited at least 33 fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks into her bank account.  A sentencing date has not yet been set.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo, Special Agent in Charge Jankowski, Inspector in Charge Kelokates, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations 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 of the District of Columbia, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Schornstein and Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo and Julie Dailey.  Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of 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 – Dominique Holmes, 25, and Gregory Smithwick, 23, both of Washington, D.C., have pled guilty to charges stemming from the murder of a man in Southwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Both men pled guilty on Jan. 7, 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 are contingent upon the Court’s approval, call for prison sentences of between 25 and 30 years for Holmes and between five and eight years for Smithwick. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 18, 2016.

             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 he 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 pleas, 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 – Tavon Barber, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison on charges stemming from a pair of home invasions he committed within a roughly 20-hour period in Northeast Washington, including one in which he sexually assaulted a woman, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Barber was found guilty in November 2014, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of 21 counts, including first-degree burglary, first-degree burglary while armed, assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse while armed, three counts of third-degree sexual abuse while armed, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and related offenses.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Russell F. Canan. Upon completion of his prison term, Barber will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life once he is released from prison.

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, on June 4, 2013, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Barber broke into a home in the 1100 block of 6th Street NE through an unlocked kitchen window.  At the time, two people were inside the house asleep. Once inside, Barber stole two laptops, a book bag full of various items and car keys. He then used the car keys to steal the car, which belonged to one of the residents.

            Approximately 20 hours later, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Barber and an accomplice broke into a home in the 2400 block of Second Street NE, armed with a loaded .40-caliber, semi-automatic pistol.  Wearing something to conceal their faces, they went upstairs to the bedroom where the owners of the home, a husband and wife, were sleeping.

            Barber turned on the lights and woke the homeowners from sleep. He demanded money, and told them to put their heads under their pillows.  Barber then sexually assaulted the wife, while holding the husband hostage at gunpoint.  As Barber sexually assaulted the wife, the husband lunged at him, enabling his wife to escape.  Barber and the husband struggled from the second floor, down the stairs, and to the back of the house.  Once there, Barber fired a shot at the husband’s head. The bullet missed the husband and entered the wall above his head.

            Barber then fled, with his accomplice, out the back of the house. The intruders left with two iPhones, a MacBook, a laptop and the husband’s wallet.

            Barber was arrested on June 29, 2013 and has been in custody ever since. The second man earlier pled guilty to charges in the case.

            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 work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel and Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Katina Adams-Washington, David Foster, and Wanda Queen, and Litigation Technology Specialist Thomas R. Royal. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan and Lindsay Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A resident of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to federal charges 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 the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Inspector in Charge David G. Bowers of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Washington, D.C., 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 $40 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 prisoners.  In other cases, the refunds 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.  Bell is one of approximately 15 people who have pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for their roles in this scheme.

            “This investigation has successfully targeted two serious crimes that cause great financial harm: identity theft and tax fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “This defendant abused his position as a government employee to steal identifying information from young people who had no idea that their names were being used on fraudulent income tax returns. Like the many others prosecuted in this case, he was apprehended by law enforcement and brought to justice.”

            “The prosecution of Stolen Identity Refund Fraud is one of the Tax Division’s top priorities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo.  “In addition to costing taxpayers millions of dollars in fraudulent refund claims each year, the perpetrators of these crimes often prey on our country’s most vulnerable citizens.  This case is a prime example of the concerted and coordinated efforts of the department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Taxpayer Inspector General for Tax Administration, and our other federal and state law enforcement partners that are essential to combatting this epidemic of fraud.”

            “Mr. Bell was a public servant who was trusted to serve the taxpayers of the District of Columbia,” said Special Agent in Charge Jankowski. “He violated that trust by stealing the identities of at least 645 youth and then passing the information to his partners in crime who filed over 12,000 federal income tax returns claiming refunds of over $40 million. Aside from the terrible harm done to the Government by receiving over $4 million in refunds before the scam was stopped, Mr. Bell has caused immeasurable harm to the financial well-being of the youth whose identities he stole.  IRS-Criminal Investigation will continue to relentlessly pursue those who prey on innocent taxpayers to satisfy their greed and cheat the honest taxpayers who comply with the tax laws of our nation.”

            “Identity theft is an increasing problem,” said Inspector in Charge Bowers. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service aggressively investigates this type of criminal conduct, especially when it involves the U.S. Mail, and it will not be ignored.  This case serves as another example of the significant results of collaborating with our law enforcement partners to achieve justice.”

            “This plea agreement reinforces the commitment of Treasury’s Office of Inspector General and its law enforcement partners to pursue criminal charges against individuals and groups that prey on the public by stealing identities and fraud committed against the U.S. taxpayer and Treasury Department in their criminal schemes,” said Assistant Inspector General Phillips.

            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.

            For his role in the scheme, Bell pleaded guilty to three charges: conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims; aiding and abetting in the filing of fictitious or false claims; and aiding and abetting fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents.  U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle set sentencing for April 20, 2016. Bell faces a statutory maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, up to five years in prison for the false claims charge and up to 15 years in prison for the charge of fraud related to identification documents.  As part of his plea agreement, Bell has also agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $1,972,710.

            U.S. Attorney Phillips, Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo, Special Agent in Charge Jankowski, Inspector in Charge Bowers 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 - Darius Briscoe, 19, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a five-year prison term on charges stemming from an armed robbery that occurred in Northeast Washington last year, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

            Briscoe was found guilty by a jury in October 2015 of one count of armed robbery, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on Dec. 18, 2015, by the Honorable Milton C. Lee. Following his prison term, Briscoe will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 21, 2015 - Father’s Day - at about 11 p.m., the victim stopped at a convenience store in the 1200 block of Mount Olivet Road NE to play the lottery after spending the day with his daughter. As the victim left the store at approximately 11:30 p.m., he saw Briscoe just outside the establishment on a bicycle.

            As he was walking home, the victim was approached by Briscoe near an alley in the rear of 1200 Raum Street NE. Briscoe pointed a handgun in the victim’s face. He then directed the victim to empty his pockets while ordering three accomplices to search him. One of the accomplices loosened the victim’s belt and pulled his shorts partially down while Briscoe continued to point the gun at him. The assailants took a cell phone and a wallet that contained identification cards, credit cards and currency.  Once Briscoe realized the victim did not have any additional money, he became frustrated and squeezed the trigger on the handgun.  The victim heard the click and quickly fled the scene once he realized the gun had jammed.

            Because the victim did not immediately report the robbery, Briscoe was not arrested until several days later. No others have been apprehended. None of the robbery proceeds were recovered.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Allison Daniels and Victim/Witness Coordinator Diana Lim.  Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kerkhoff and Nebiyu Feleke, who investigated and indicted the case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamika Griffin who prosecuted the matter with Assistant U.S. Attorney Feleke.

WASHINGTON – Fernando Salas, 31, formerly of Gaithersburg, Md., was sentenced today to three years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of kidnapping and one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse stemming from his random attack on two different women one night in May 2015, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Salas pled guilty in June 2015 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, in an Alford plea. Under such a plea, the defendant does not admit the allegations but agrees that the government has enough evidence to secure a conviction. He was sentenced by the Honorable Jennifer Anderson. Upon completion of his prison term, Salas will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, early on May 7, 2015, after a night of heavy drinking and attending a strip club on M Street NW, Salas took to the nearby streets.  He first accosted a college student as she was walking home on 19th Street NW, just south of M Street.  He grabbed her from behind and tried to drag her into a nearby alley.  She was able to get his hand off of her mouth and began screaming for help, at which point Salas fled down the alley.

            A few minutes later, Salas came up from behind another young woman who was waiting for an Uber ride at 18th and M Streets NW.  Again, Salas approached from behind, grabbed the woman, and tried to drag her to a secluded spot outside a nearby bank.  As she struggled to get away, a Good Samaritan saw what Salas was doing and yelled at him.  Salas then threw the woman to the ground and ran away.

            Salas was apprehended nearby a short while later by officers of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who were responding to the 911 placed by the first victim after she got away.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of MPD’s Second District officers and detectives from the MPD Sexual Assault Unit, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key and Joyce Arthur; and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – James Leroy Burney, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 39 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor, stemming from his fondling of a 16-year-old girl while she slept at her mother’s home, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Burney pled guilty in October 2015 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston. After his prison term, he will be placed on 10 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 13, 2015, the girl was spending the night with her mother, who she was visiting in Southeast Washington.  Twice during the night, Burney slipped into a bedroom and fondled the girl. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) got a warrant for Burney’s arrest, and arrested him on Sept. 16, 2015.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of MPD’s Youth Services Division, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key and Joyce Arthur; Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; and La June Thames and Katina Adams-Washington, both of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON – Levi Ruffin, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison on charges stemming from a nighttime attack on a woman as she tried to enter her home in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips. 

            Ruffin was found guilty in October 2015 by a jury of six counts: kidnapping while armed; third-degree sexual abuse while armed; first-degree burglary while armed; attempted robbery while armed; assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault causing significant bodily injury. The verdict was returned following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston. Upon completion of his prison term, Ruffin will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years and complete a mental health evaluation, sex offender treatment and therapy, and drug and alcohol treatment.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 14, 2013, at about 9 p.m., the victim was entering the door to her home in the 6900 block of Georgia Avenue NW after an outing with her friends. As she entered the residence, she was rushed from behind by Ruffin, who placed his hand over her mouth.  Ruffin pulled out a knife, placed it next to the woman’s face, and demanded she drop her belongings.  Ruffin then forced her inside her home and demanded money. When the woman told Ruffin she had no money and attempted to give him her credit cards, Ruffin slapped the credit cards away and began to sexually assault her. The woman fought Ruffin when he touched her.  During the fight, Ruffin cut the woman on both her hands and bit her face and back.

            The bite marks on the woman’s face were swabbed for potential DNA.  DNA was recovered from those bite marks and was traced to Ruffin.  A warrant for Ruffin’s arrest was issued, and when Ruffin was arrested on Aug. 6, 2014, he was found to have generally matched the description the woman gave of the attacker.  Ruffin also had a knife that matched the description provided by the woman of the knife used during the attack.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and Bode Technologies. In addition, he acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Mark Morse and Wanda Trice; Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; Litigation Technology Specialist Karen McColman; Criminal Investigators Nelson Rhone and Melissa Matthews; Legal Interns Emma McArthur and Meghan Monahan, and Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenechukwu Okocha and Akhi Johnson, who prosecuted the matter, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Lazarus, who indicted the case.

WASHINGTON – Jerez Nehemiah Coleman, 20, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to 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 this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of making threats involving explosive materials. The Honorable Amit P. Mehta scheduled sentencing for Feb. 26, 2016. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. The plea, which is subject to the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of up to 27 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release.

            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.

            “Jerez Nehemiah Coleman repeatedly disrupted our transit system and put people on edge by calling 911 with false threats of imminent attacks,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Federal and local law enforcement immediately responded to these calls, putting aside other important responsibilities to investigate what turned out to be a hoax. Ultimately, the investigation led to this defendant, and now he is being held accountable for this series of senseless acts.”

            “In today’s world, we must take every threat seriously,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Pavlik. “Over a period of several months, the defendant’s actions had the effect of putting at risk many Metro riders and responding police officers. I want to express my sincere gratitude for the efforts of our law enforcement partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, as well as the prosecutors who successfully handled this case.”

            Coleman earlier was indicted by a federal grand jury on a total of 13 felony counts. In return for his guilty plea, the other charges will be dismissed at sentencing. In his plea today, he admitted to all of the conduct as alleged in the 13 charges.

            In announcing the plea, 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 and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah A. Curtis, John L. Hill and John Marston, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Roosevelt Robinson, 67, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder while armed stemming from the shooting death last summer of his cousin, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Robinson pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on Feb. 26, 2016, by the Honorable Michael Ryan.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, at approximately 10:35 a.m., Robinson rode his bicycle to the house of his cousin, Loretta Carswell, 63, in the 3700 block of 18th Street NE.  He confronted Ms. Carswell outside, accusing her of stealing a ring from him that he intended to give to his daughter.  This was an ongoing accusation based on a time when Ms. Carswell safeguarded some of Robinson’s valuables.  Every time this issue had been raised, Ms. Carswell denied knowing what Robinson was talking about.

            When Robinson confronted Ms. Carswell on Aug. 21, 2015 and asked her about the ring, Ms. Carswell said she did not have it and gave Robinson a look that he interpreted as dismissive.  Robinson told her: “Girl, you know I should kill you for doing what you did.”  Ms. Carswell responded by saying, “You can go ahead and kill me if you want to, I done told you I don’t have your ring.”  At that point, Robinson pulled out a Ruger .357-caliber Magnum revolver and shot Ms. Carswell one time in the head in front of her home. The bullet entered her forehead.

            Immediately after the shooting, Robinson rode his bicycle down the street to his home in the 3600 block of 18th Street NE.  Robinson barricaded himself inside until the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was able to arrest him approximately 30 hours later.  In an interview with the police, Robinson confessed to shooting his cousin in the head.

            In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, and the Fifth Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Marcia Rinker of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit and Paralegal Specialist Vanessa Trent-Valentine.  He also praised the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Macey, who investigated and prosecuted the case.