District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Darryl Dacota Riley, Jr, 39, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that reached across the United States and sold PCP, cocaine, and fentanyl in the 2900 block of Knox Place in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Riley, aka “Slice,” pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of phencyclidine (PCP), 500 grams or more of cocaine, and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition, Riley pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Judge Timothy J. Kelly, who accepted the plea, scheduled sentencing for May 14, 2026.

“Thanks to our prosecutors, a 10-time convicted felon and drug-trafficker is off the streets and behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Jackson went so far as to target drug addicts seeking rehabilitation by selling drugs outside of rehabilitation and treatment facilities in Southeast Washington D.C., but now he won’t be bringing down this community anymore.”

According to court documents, in the summer of 2024, FBI agents initiated a long-term investigation of a drug trafficking conspiracy centered around the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE, where law enforcement had identified an alleged fentanyl and PCP trafficker with a stash house. Over the course of their investigation into the trafficker’s narcotics suppliers, agents determined that Riley served as a bulk PCP supplier within the conspiracy. 

Riley is the third defendant to plead guilty thus far after a years-long investigation that culminated in the arrests of fourteen individuals in August 2025 after the FBI executed 20 residential search warrants across the District, Maryland, and Los Angeles. Investigators at the time seized 20 firearms, more than two kilograms of suspected cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl, a kilo press commonly used to compact kilogram-quantities of powdered narcotics, and over $100,000 in cash.

The Knox Place neighborhood has experienced at least five homicides in the past year, among other violent crimes. According to court documents, the D.C. traffickers who operated around Knox Place sourced their narcotics through a Baltimore-based co-conspirator, who in turn was importing narcotics from California. One of the shipments from California included 17 gallons of PCP that was intercepted last year by law enforcement outside of Topeka, Kansas.

On Aug. 26, 2025, investigators searched Riley’s residence on the 1900 block of Naylor Road, SE, and recovered about 900 grams of cocaine, about 11 grams of crack cocaine, 120 grams of fentanyl, more than 7 grams of methamphetamine, and $20,097 in cash. In addition, agents recovered a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun, a loaded and chambered Glock 21 45mm pistol; and a loaded privately manufactured AR-style .223 caliber firearm with no serial number.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office with valuable assistance from the DEA and the MPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Sarah Akhtar, and John Crabb of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Mark Williams, 59, of Virginia, has been found guilty by a jury of four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a secondary education student and four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Williams was the victim’s high school teacher in 2014, when the abuse occurred.

            The verdict was returned on February 12, 2026, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026.  The defendant remains held without bond pending sentencing.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the spring of 2014, Williams was the victim’s high school teacher at Duke Ellington School for the Arts. Williams began an independent study with the victim, who was 17 years old at the time. Their independent study met in a locked, windowless room in the basement of Duke Ellington. Williams then initiated a romantic and sexual relationship with the victim, during which they participated in sexual acts while on campus.

            Joining in the announcement was Jeffery W. Carroll, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones, Investigative Analyst Lucas Jetson, and Victim Witness Coordinators Guisela Castillo and Katina Adams.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Hyde and Sarah Roessler, who investigated and prosecuted the case, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Platt, who assisted with investigating the case.

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WASHINGTON – James Adrian Brewer, 19, a resident of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to unlawful possession of a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.  

Judge Jia M. Cobb scheduled sentencing for May 28, 2026. 

According to court documents, Brewer was attending the Goodwill Excel Center Adult Charter School in Northwest Washington on Sept. 3, 2025, when he was observed by a school administrator to have what appeared to be a firearm in his waistband. When confronted, Brewer surrendered the pistol to the administrator, who then turned it over to Metropolitan Police Department officers.   

The firearm was later determined to be a Glock 19, 9mm pistol that previously had been reported stolen. The Glock was loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition. The gun was fitted with a switch-style machine gun conversion device (MCD) which allowed it to function as a fully automatic weapon.  

As part of his plea, Brewer admitted to possessing the handgun at the Goodwill Excel Center Adult Charter School and further admitted to knowing that it was fitted with an MCD that converted the pistol into a machine gun.   

This case was investigated by the MPD with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson. 

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WASHINGTON – Jamie Greer Spies, 24, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 90 months in prison in connection with distributing multiple videos of child sexual abuse material to an undercover FBI agent, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Spies pleaded guilty July 22, 2025, before Judge Timothy J. Kelly to one count of distribution of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, Judge Kelly ordered Spies to serve ten years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, an undercover officer working with the MPD-FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online group where people meet to discuss and trade original images and videos of underage children. While in the group, an individual calling themselves “babygirl484” and later identified as Spies messaged the undercover officer indicating that she was interested in images that portrayed the sexual abuse of young children.

Spies, who was the mother of a then 16-month-old son, subsequently distributed multiple images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including the abuse of infants and toddlers.

Following her arrest on May 2, 2025, investigators discovered 43 videos and 51 images of child sexual abuse materials on her phone.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

This case was investigated by the MPD-FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, Allentown Resident Agency. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

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WASHINGTON – Joshua Rosser, 28, residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to eight months in prison in connection with purposely ramming a U.S. Marshal’s vehicle and then leading officers on a 10-minute high-speed chase, crashing into a second law enforcement vehicle, as he attempted to evade arrest, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Rosser pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2025, before Judge Loren L. AliKhan to federal misdemeanor assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and to D.C. Code felony fleeing from law enforcement. In addition to the eight-month sentence, Judge AliKhan ordered Rosser to serve 12 months of supervised release on the federal count and three years of supervised release on the D.C. count as well as to pay $4,528.92 in restitution for damage to the law enforcement vehicles.

According to court documents, on Sept. 2, 2025, law enforcement officers were in unmarked police cruisers when they spotted an SUV with heavily tinted windows and a counterfeit Texas Buyer’s Tag. After officers confirmed that the tag was counterfeit, they attempted to conduct a traffic stop. An unmarked U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) vehicle occupied by four Deputy U.S. Marshals (DUSMs) activated its emergency lights and pulled in front of the SUV. Simultaneously, an unmarked U.S. Park Police (USPP) vehicle occupied by two USPP officers located behind the SUV activated its emergency equipment. As a USPP officer got out of his vehicle, Rosser rapidly accelerated forward and fled from law enforcement, striking a USMS vehicle in the process.

After colliding with the USMS vehicle, Rosser sped away in his SUV. Officers pursued Rosser in their vehicle with both their lights and sirens on. During the pursuit, Rosser reached speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour and drove the wrong way up one-way streets. During the chase, Rosser’s SUV collided with a second USMS vehicle occupied by three DUSMs. The impact caused injuries to one of the DUSMs. Rosser pulled away after the collision and continued to flee. After about 10 minutes of trying to evade law enforcement Rosser’s SUV came to a stop and he was arrested.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, U.S. Park Police, FBI Washington Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English.

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Rosser collided with this USMS vehicle in which three Deputy U.S. Marshals were riding.

WASHINGTON – Javan King, 42, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in connection with stealing thousands of government cell phones when he worked for the Department of Justice, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

King pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Judge Jia M. Cobb accepted King’s plea and scheduled sentencing for May 26, 2026.

According to court documents, between approximately 2021 and 2025 King worked as an information technology contractor for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ). During that period, he defrauded DOJ out of more than $1.3 million by successfully requesting that DOJ order thousands of mobile devices that the Department did not need.

After the phones were shipped to King at DOJ, he sent them to phone reselling businesses. In total, the businesses paid him more than $1.3 million for the phones. King acknowledged that his scheme caused the Department of Justice to suffer an actual loss of more than $1.3 million because of fees that it paid AT&T for the unnecessary phone lines and phones. 

This case was investigated by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman.

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WASHINGTON – Shawn Marshall Owens, 44, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 67 months in federal prison for committing at least six armed robberies of Metro by T-Mobile stores in 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Owens pleaded guilty July 1, 2024, to six counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery). In addition to the 67-month prison term, U.S. District Court Timothy J. Kelly ordered Owens to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on July 14, 2023, about 6:25 p.m., Owens robbed the Metro by T-Mobile store on the 4500 block East Capitol Street, NE. Owens pointed a black handgun in the direction of an employee and directed him to hand over cash from the cash register and cell phones. Owens fled with three phones and about $500 in cash.

On July 29, 2023, at noon, Owens struck at the same T-Mobile store on the 4500 block of East Capitol Street, NE. “Don’t play games…you know what to do,” Owens said to the same T-Mobile employee he had robbed two weeks earlier. Owens handed the employee a backpack and ordered him to empty the register into the bag. The employee complied. Owens grabbed six or seven cell phones, put them into the pack, and left the store.

On Sept. 2, 2023, about 5 p.m., Owens entered the Metro by T-Mobile store on the 1400 block North Capitol Street, NW. He produced a silver and black handgun, pointed it at an employee, and demanded all the Apple iPhones. Because of the threatened use of force, the employee complied, but told Owens they did not have Apple iPhones in stock. Owens demanded the keys to the cash register, opened it, and grabbed $446 in cash. He also took four phones from the counter. Owens asked the employee where the store’s big safe was located. The employee told Owens the safe was empty. Owens ordered the employee to walk to the backroom and told her to give him time to leave the store before she called the police.

On Sept. 13, 2023, about 4:51 p.m., Owens returned to the Metro by T-Mobile store on North Capitol Street. He produced a black and silver handgun and pointed it at a store employee. Owens asked for the keys to the safe, the employee’s personal phone, and wallet. The employee told Owens that since the establishment had been robbed before, keys to the safe were no longer kept on the premises. Owens opened the register, took $250, and grabbed at least five new phones from behind the counter.

On Oct.1, 2023, about 4:05 p.m., Owens struck the Metro by T-Mobile store on 3100 block of Mount Pleasant Street, NW Owens approached an employee, pulled a handgun, and demanded: “Where is the money? Where are the iPhones?” After ordering the employee to face the wall, Owens took $1,000 from the cash register, a laptop, a speaker, and a cell phone.

On Dec. 10, 2023, at 5:30 p.m., Owens robbed a Metro by T-Mobile store on the 5400 block of Georgia Ave NW. Two employees were working together inside as Owens walked in, pointed a handgun at them and demanded cash and phones. Owens carried out a box of phones out worth $3,169 as well as cash. When police arrested Owens shortly thereafter, he was in possession of the cash and the box of phones.

Each of the six stores that Owens robbed bought and sold goods in interstate commerce. As a result of Owen’s actions in each of these robberies, interstate commerce was actually or potentially delayed, obstructed, or affected. In each of the six robberies, Owens was armed with a replica “Airsoft” handgun, which appeared to be a real firearm.

Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)

This case was investigated by the MPD and the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Haley M. Pennington and Alexander Schneider provided valuable assistance.

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WASHINGTON – Stephen Kline, 40, of Pennsylvania, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 90 months in federal prison in connection with sending child sexual abuse materials to an undercover FBI task force officer, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Kline pleaded guilty Aug. 5, 2025, before Judge Royce C. Lamberth to one count of distribution of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, Judge Lamberth ordered Kline to serve 10 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, on June 26, 2025, an FBI detective was monitoring a fetish website when a user using the screen name, “sk87p” initiated a private message chat. Later identified as Stephen Kline, the user moved the conversation to another messaging platform. Kline stated he had a sexual interest in children and indicated that he had access to a 15-year-old minor child. When asked what ages he preferred, Kline stated, “7-15, 9-10 being my fav.”

During the course of the conversation Kline sent the undercover detective materials that depicted adults sexually abusing young prepubescent children, including images of adults engaged in sadistic acts by tying children up to abuse them. Kline also detailed his access to and abuse of a real minor child.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

This case was investigated by the MPD-FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, Allentown Resident Agency. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

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Zubayar Al-Bakoush, an armed coconspirator in the 2012 attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was charged in an eight-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court on multiple terrorism and murder counts.

Bakoush, who is in federal custody, is expected to make his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya for the District of Columbia.

“The terrorist attack on our Benghazi Embassy was a dark and tragic day for our nation that robbed us of four American heroes,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Now, thanks to our brave federal agents, one of its alleged key participants will be prosecuted in an American courtroom on American soil. Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice will never rest in our mission to Make America Safe Again and deliver swift, severe justice to our enemies.”

"The FBI and our U.S. government partners have worked tirelessly to hold accountable those responsible for the heinous terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya that resulted in the deaths of the U.S. Ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The latest result of our efforts is bringing  Zubayar Al-Bakoush  to the U.S. to face charges for his alleged role in the attacks against our citizens and our facilities in Libya. You can be assured that no matter how long it takes, or where you are located, the FBI remains steadfast in our duty to see justice served against those who harm our citizens. I’m grateful to the men and women of the FBI for their unrelenting efforts to bring us to where we stand today – this defendant will be prosecuted on U.S. soil.”

“Today’s indictment against Zubayar Al-Bakoush is indicative of President Trump’s resolve to hold accountable anyone who harms Americans, no matter where,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Al-Bakoush is now on U.S. soil, because the FBI and Department of Justice never forgot those Americans who were seemingly forgotten in that outpost in Benghazi, Libya. President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, FBI Director Patel, and I will do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, to pursue justice for the victims and their families.”

“Over thirteen years have passed since the 2012 attack in Libya, and over eight since the last arrest in this case, but the Department of Justice’s resolve has not wavered,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “We never forgot those four Americans who were killed in service of our Nation, and we will continue to seek justice for them, their families, and for the United States.”

“In September 2012, Zubayar Al-Bakoush allegedly facilitated the terrorist attack on the United States Mission and Annex in Benghazi in which four Americans – including an ambassador – were murdered in an effort to incite additional violence against our country’s presence in Libya” said James Barnacle, Assistant Director in Charge of New York Field Office. “This bloody campaign waged unnecessary brutality against Americans and forever altered the lives of the victims’ families. May today’s significant disruption send a clear message: the FBI New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will never cease its tireless pursuit of any terrorist involved in the massacre of our nation’s citizens, regardless of when or where the onslaught occurred.”

The indictment charges Bakoush with:

• Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to Terrorists Resulting in Death
• Providing Material Support and Resources to Terrorists Resulting in Death
• Murder of an Internationally Protected Person
• Murder of a United States National Outside of the United States (Two Counts)
• Attempted Murder of a United States National Outside of the United States
• Arson and Placing Lives in Jeopardy Within the Special Maritime and Territorial

Jurisdiction of the United States and Attempting to Do the Same

• Maliciously Destroying and Injuring Property and Placing Lives in Jeopardy within the Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States and Attempting to Do the Same

The charges stem from the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and nearby CIA Annex that killed Ambassador Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty.

According to the indictment, Bakoush was a member of Ansar Al Sharia (AAS), an Islamist extremist militia in Benghazi, which had the goal of establishing Sharia law in Libya.

On the evening of Sept. 11, 2012, a group of more than 20 heavily armed men – including Bakoush assembled outside the main gate of the U.S Special Mission in Benghazi.  They were armed with assault rifles, other firearms, and explosive devices.  At about 9:45 p.m., the group of armed men violently breached the main gate of the Mission. Upon entry, the men fanned out across the Mission complex, setting fires to building within the Mission compound.

When the attackers could not gain entry to the secure area of Villa C, the Ambassador’s residence, they set fire to it.  Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith suffocated from the thick, black smoke that enveloped the residence. Diplomatic Security Services (DSS) Special Agent Scott Wickland, who had tried to guide Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith to safety, was injured and repeatedly took small arms fire while trying to rescue the two Americans.

The extremist group also attacked the Quick Reaction Force building, which was occupied by local Libyans serving as guards for the Mission.

About 10 p.m., Bakoush entered the Mission compound with other conspirators, and conducted surveillance of the Tactical Operation Center and the Villa. After Bakoush attempted to gain entry to vehicles belonging to Mission staff, he and his co-conspirators temporarily retreated to an area just outside the Mission.

About 11:15 p.m., conspirators assembled outside the southern gate and launched a second violent attack on the Mission using AK-type assault rifles, grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades. After 30 minutes, the group entered the compound and plundered the Mission’s office of documents, maps, and computers containing sensitive information about the location of the CIA Annex.

At 12:30 a.m., conspirators attacked the Annex with small arms, assault rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades.

Following the attack at the Mission, in the early hours of September 12, 2012, the violence continued at the CIA Annex, first with gunfire and then with a precision mortar attack. While defending the Annex, Mr. Woods, Mr. Doherty, DSS Special Agent David Ubben, and CIA security specialist Mark Tiegen were hit by a precision mortar attack, leading to the deaths of Mr. Woods and Mr. Doherty. Special Agent Ubben and Mr. Tiegen were seriously wounded but survived.

The Department of Justice previously charged and convicted two leaders in the Benghazi attack on federal terrorism charges and other offenses. Ahmed Abu Khatallah, aka Ahmed Mukatallah was sentenced in June 2018 to 22 years in prison and resentenced in September 2024 to 28 years in prison. Mustafa al-Imam was sentenced in January 2020 to nearly 20 years.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office with substantial assistance from the Department of War, the CIA and the Department of State. The National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section provided additional assistance.

The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Andrew Henrry Rodriguez, 24, of Ontario, California, Santos Balmore Martinez, 23, of Los Angeles, California, Jose Anthony Contreras, 32, of Fullerton, California, Anthony Guadalupe Olguin, 29, of South El Monte, California, and others have been sentenced in United States District Court for the District of Columbia for their roles in obtaining fentanyl from Mexico, and distributing it in California and throughout the United States, including Washington, D.C.  The fentanyl trafficking organization distributed tens of thousands of deadly doses of illegal fentanyl using covert social media platforms, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

On September 20, 2024, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl before the Honorable Judge Amit P. Mehta, United States District Court Judge, for the District of Columbia. On May 13, 2025, Judge Mehta sentenced Rodriguez to 63 months imprisonment followed by 60 months of supervised release. 

On November 13, 2024, Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. On February 21, 2025, Judge Mehta sentenced Martinez to 48 months imprisonment followed by 36 months of supervised release. 

On December 6, 2024, Contreras pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. On March 21, 2025, Judge Mehta sentenced Contreras to 120 months imprisonment followed by 60 months of supervised release. 

On September 4, 2025, Anthony Olguin pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. On February 6, 2026, Judge Mehta sentenced Olguin to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Judge Mehta ordered part of the sentence to run concurrently with a separate conviction that Olguin is serving out of the Southern District of Iowa, where he was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on November 13, 2025, for another drug trafficking conspiracy. 

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentences were DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher Goumenis, of the Washington Division Office, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division.   

According to court documents, the group was part of a large-scale fentanyl distribution conspiracy that obtained tens of thousands of fentanyl pills. Between 2023 and 2024, the DEA, with the assistance of a confidential source and an undercover law enforcement officer, conducted numerous controlled fentanyl pill purchases from Rodriguez, who shipped fentanyl pills from California through the USPS to a mailing address in the District of Columbia. Rodriguez sent about 4,713 fentanyl pills (weighing over 400 grams in total) and prepared to send an additional 21,000 fentanyl pills to the DEA undercover officer, but law enforcement arrested him at his residence in Ontario, California, before the plan could be completed. Thereafter, Martinez, Contreras, Olguin, and others, were arrested, and search warrants were executed. From those searches, law enforcement recovered a cache of illegal substances and evidence of the drug trafficking conspiracy.  

This case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, and the Hermosa Beach California Police Department with the assistance of the DEA’s Los Angeles Division Office and the United States Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and Daniel Seidel, of the Violence Crime and Narcotics Trafficking (VCNT) section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON –  John Calvin Harris, 29, a convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison in connection with his illegal possession of a firearm and trafficking amphetamines and crack cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Harris pleaded guilty Sept. 18, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and to possession with intent to distribute amphetamine and cocaine base. In addition to the prison term, Chief Judge James E. Boasberg ordered Harris to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on June 30, 2025, Metropolitan Police officers were patrolling the 4000 block of Minnesota Ave, NE, when they spotted Harris in the driver’s seat of a parked Honda. Harris was wanted on an active warrant out of Maryland.

Police initiated an arrest, placed Harris in handcuffs, and recovered a loaded Glock 29 pistol from the front of Harris’ pants. Officers then searched the Honda and found three containers containing more than 45 grams of a hard rock-like substance that tested positive for cocaine. Officers also found a fourth container that held 30.5 grams of a white powder that tested positive for amphetamines.

Harris previously was convicted in 2023 of possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, received a probationary sentence, and therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the ATF. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caelainn Carney.

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WASHINGTON – A 23-year-old man from Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury on charges stemming from his brandishing a firearm and threatening his ex-girlfriend during an argument in October 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro.

            A Superior Court grand jury indicted the man on February 4, 2026, on assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction), possession of a firearm with an altered or obliterated serial number, and carrying a pistol without a license.

            This case is set for a status hearing on February 6, 2026, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Carmen McLean.

            The man has two prior convictions for crimes of violence.

            According to the government’s evidence, on October 26, 2025, at approximately 6:20 p.m., the man got into an argument with his child’s mother in an apartment complex on Oak Street NW. At some point during the argument, the man pointed a firearm at the victim while she was holding their two-year-old son. The man threatened the victim, indicating that if she was not holding his son, he would shoot her. The victim was able to call police from a nearby market. The man was arrested on scene, and a firearm was found in the closet of an apartment where the man was seen exiting and entering.

            Joining the announcement was Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

           It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmine Dohemann. 

           A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – Darrell A. Smith, Sr., 56, of Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty Tuesday in District of Columbia Superior Court to three counts of first-degree theft and one count of trafficking in stolen property for stealing D.C. government-issued laptops and selling many of them for personal profit, announced Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

             The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld accepted Smith’s plea and scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026.

            According to court documents, in 2022, while serving as an Information Technology manager for the DC Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), Smith used his official badge access to enter secured DHCF storage areas and remove multiple Apple MacBook Pro laptops purchased for agency use as part of a $1.6 million technology procurement. Each laptop was valued at more than $3,000. Smith kept some of the stolen devices, gave others away as gifts, and sold several for as much as $1,250 each, retaining the proceeds.

            When DHCF officials began inquiring about the missing devices, Smith falsely denied knowledge of their whereabouts. During his guilty plea, he admitted to using his official system access to delete security camera footage from an IT storage room to conceal the theft. In total, Smith’s actions caused a loss to the District government of at least $30,000.

            Joining the announcement was Brian L. Schwalb, Attorney General for the District of Columbia; and Jeffery Carroll, Interim Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Pirro, Interim Chief Carroll, and D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb commended investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and acknowledged valuable assistance provided by investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

            The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Bluming, on detail from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, assigned to prosecute matters involving fraud and public corruption impacting the District and its residents.

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WASHINGTON – Lorenzo Greene, 21, a previously convicted felon residing in the District, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison in connection with a flight from police, a crash into a law enforcement vehicle, and the subsequent discovery of a 9mm handgun, 18 rounds of ammunition, and about five ounces of marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Greene pleaded guilty Nov. 5, 2025, before Judge Amir H. Ali to one count of possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances and to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. At sentencing, in addition to the prison term, Judge Ali ordered Greene to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on Aug. 24, 2025, Greene was driving a Nissan Altima erratically in the vicinity of 17th St. SE and T St. SE, The Nissan was tagged with a stolen Virginia temporary license plate and had heavily tinted windows. 

Police attempted to stop the Nissan after Greene ran a red stoplight and drove across the center of the roadway into oncoming traffic. Instead of pulling over, Greene accelerated. He recklessly swerved the Nissan into an alley, rounded a curve, and collided with an unmarked FBI vehicle that was driving with its lights and sirens activated.

As officers approached the crashed Nissan, Greene got out and attempted to flee, which led to a struggle. One of the officers observed a black handgun protruding from Greene’s waistband and recovered it. The firearm was a Taurus G3C handgun, 9mm caliber, loaded with 17 rounds in a large capacity ammunition feeding device and one round in the chamber. From Greene’s backpack, officers also seized about five ounces of marijuana, packaging materials, a scale, and $369 in cash.

Greene previously had been convicted of carrying a pistol without a license, punishable by a sentence of more than a year, and was therefore prohibited from possessing any firearm.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman as part of the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Initiative.

Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump's Executive Order  to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenses, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

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WASHINGTON – Desmond Thurston, 48, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday to murdering his ex-romantic partner in her home on October 1, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

           Thurston plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on February 4, 2026. Sentencing is scheduled for June 5, 2026, before the Honorable Judge Rainey Brandt.

            According to the government’s evidence, on September 28, 2023, Patricia Johnson called 911 to report that Thurston had threatened her. The next day, Johnson obtained a Temporary Protection Order (“TPO”) against Thurston. On September 30, 2023, Metropolitan Police Department officers responded twice to Ms. Johnson’s residence, which she had shared with Thurston for years, to advise Thurston that they could escort him in to get needed items, but that he was not allowed in the residence.

           Despite the TPO, and the warning from MPD, Thurston returned to Johnson’s home around 3:00 a.m. on October 1, 2023, and broke in, snapping a chain lock off the wall. Thurston proceeded up the stairs of the home to where Johnson and a minor family member had been sleeping in different bedrooms. After a brief exchange of words in the hallway, Thurston shot Johnson once through her left wrist and neck, causing her to fall to the ground. Thurston then shot Johnson a second time, in the chest, while she was on the ground. After going through Johnson’s devices, Thurston eventually left the home, allowing the minor family member witness to call 911. A few hours later, after disposing of the gun, Thurston turned himself into an MPD officer, advising that he assumed they were looking for him for a murder. He was placed under arrest and has remained in custody ever since.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           The Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch investigated the case.

           Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zach Horton and Wes Faulkner Jr. are prosecuting the case.

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WASHINGTON – A 55-year-old Washington, D.C. man, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury on charges stemming from attacking and robbing his former romantic partner in October 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro.

            A Superior Court grand jury indicted the defendant on February 4, 2026, on robbery and simple assault.

            This case is set for trial on February 23, 2026, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld.

            According to the government’s evidence, on October 15, 2025, at approximately 2:30 p.m., the man came behind the victim, his former romantic partner, on W Street, NW and took her phone out of her hand. The man then fought with the victim as she tried to recover her phone. He struck the victim in the face and shoved her to the ground. When they stood back up, the man took the victim’s purse as well. A bystander observed the altercation and intervened by calling 911 and the defendant left the area with the victim’s phone and purse.

            Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

           A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – Michael Scott, 34, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a D.C. Superior Court grand jury on four counts related stemming from an October 2025 assault on two women, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced.

            Scott was indicted on February 2, 2026, on one count each of first-degree burglary, assault, destruction of property and resisting arrest.

            According to the indictment, on October 25, 2025, Scott entered the home of a woman, Victim 1, with the intent to assault his ex-romantic partner, Victim 2, who was also inside the dwelling. Upon entering the apartment, Scott broke down the bedroom door, assaulted and threatened Victim 2.

            Scott has two prior convictions for crimes of violence.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivis Hinerfeld. 

            An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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WASHINGTON – Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was charged in a 13-count superseding indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court with multiple terrorism-related offenses in connection with the May 21, 2025, fatal shootings of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Rodriguez previously was charged with the murder of a foreign official, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, two federal counts of hate crime resulting in death, and two counts each of first-degree premeditated murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed under the D.C. criminal code.

The superseding indictment adds four counts of acts of terrorism while armed (two counts each for the first-degree murders and assaults with intent to kill) in violation of the D.C. criminal code and a federal statutory aggravating factor for substantial planning and premeditation to commit an act of terrorism.

Several of the charges filed against Rodriguez carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment.

“My office will not rest in our efforts to hold Elias Rodriguez accountable for this horrific, and targeted act of terror against Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim and our Jewish community,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “These additional terrorism-related charges carry a mandatory life sentence under D.C. Code, while also reflecting the reality that this act was in fact an act of terror.”

“In addition to allegedly murdering two innocent people and terrorizing the survivors of his attack at the Capital Jewish Museum, Rodriguez wrote and published a manifesto attempting to morally justify his actions and inspire others to commit political violence,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office. “His alleged actions warrant the additional terrorism charges being announced today.”

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, died in the attack. Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen and employee of the Government of Israel who was in the United States on official business while working for the Israeli Embassy. Milgrim, from Overland Park, Kansas, was also employed by the Israeli Embassy. Two surviving victims also worked for the Embassy.

According to the superseding indictment, Rodriguez allegedly approached the victims as they left a “Young Diplomats Reception” at the museum, fired approximately 20 shots from a semi-automatic handgun, and called out “Free Palestine.”

After the shooting, Rodriguez entered the museum. Several event attendees were still present. Rodriguez allegedly displayed a red keffiyeh and said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”

As police removed Rodriguez from the museum, he shouted, “shame on you” and “shame on Zio-nazi terror” at the remaining event attendees.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with assistance from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

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WASHINGTON – Tyree Irving, 29, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty for the shooting death of Davane Williams on January 15, 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Irving pleaded guilty on February 2, 2026, to one count of second-degree murder while armed, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judge Neal Kravitz scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2026.

            On January 15, 2019, at 2:59 p.m., Irving walked from behind the Sibley Plaza parking lot, crossed M Street NW, and then walked toward the Tyler House, located in the 1200 block of North Capitol Street, NW. Mr. Williams and several other men were standing on the sidewalk outside the M Street entrance pathway to the Tyler House.  Irving, who had a .40 caliber pistol concealed in his hoodie, approached the group and immediately started yelling at Mr. Williams. After yelling at Mr. Williams for less than 10 seconds, Irving pulled the .40 caliber pistol out of his hoodie and fired it five times at Mr. Williams, striking him with all five shots. Mr. Williams immediately fell to the ground, while the other bystanders ran away eastbound toward North Capitol Street. Irving put the pistol back into his hoodie and then ran away southbound across M Street, back through the parking lot of the Sibley Plaza.

            Irving was eventually arrested on February 27, 2019, and has been held pending trial.

            Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Hall and Wes Faulkner.

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WASHINGTON – Tyrell West, 30, of Bowie, MD, was indicted by a D.C. Superior Court grand jury on three counts stemming from a November 2025 assault on a woman, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            West was indicted on February 2, 2026, on one count each of strangulation, threats to do bodily harm and simple assault.

            According to the indictment, on November 26, 2025, West threatened to assault the victim, his romantic partner, and then punched her in the face and strangled her in the presence of their young child. The victim lost consciousness during the assault. She fled to a neighbor’s apartment and called 911.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivis Hinerfeld. 

            An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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WASHINGTON – Walter Jenkins, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced in connection with the shooting homicide of David Williams that also injured Melvin Favors on November 14, 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            On August 21, 2025, Jenkins pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. At the January 29, 2026 sentencing, the Honorable Rainey Brandt ordered him to serve the prison term of 26 years and five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 4:45 p.m., on November 14, 2021, defendant Jenkins drove to the area where David Williams was known to sit in his parked vehicle, in front of the Frederick Douglass Community Center, at the intersection of Alabama Ave SE and Bruce Pl SE. Williams was in a relationship with Jenkins’ sister and there were reports of violence by Williams against members of Jenkins’ family, as well as reports of threats to Williams by Jenkins’ sister. After parking, Jenkins, wearing a mask and with a gun concealed in his backpack, confirmed Williams’ location and approached Williams’ vehicle. Captured on surveillance video, Jenkins briefly leaned down to the window of the car, which contained Williams, Favors, and a third individual who was uninjured, then quickly stood back up and began firing on the vehicle as he slowly walked around it. 

            Jenkins fired through the backpack so that it captured the cartridge casings fired from the weapon. Jenkins then fled the scene. David Williams was pronounced deceased at 6:16pm. Melvin Favors suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his legs and a broken femur, as well as a wound to his hand.

            Law enforcement arrested Jenkins in February of 2022 and he has remained in custody since.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch investigated the case.

            Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zach Horton and Miles Janssen prosecuted the case.

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WASHINGTON – Antonio Hawley, 22, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a Superior Court jury of first-degree murder while armed and other charges in a shooting that took place on the sports fields of Watkins Elementary School in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Hawley was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder while armed, one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Judge Danya Dayson scheduled sentencing for April 10, 2026.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of October 6, 2021, Hawley and the homicide victim, Aaron Wiggins, had just finished playing against each other in a flag football scrimmage on the sports field of Watkins Elementary School. After the field lights cut off as usual at 9:45 p.m., the two teams decided to finish one last play, and Mr. Wiggins caught the winning touchdown. Throughout the game, there was the usual football trash talk, and that trash talk continued between Mr. Wiggins and members of Hawley’s team after that final play. As members of both flag football teams were gathering their belongings to leave the field, Hawley retrieved a handgun that he knew a teammate kept in a bag that had been brought onto the field at the start of the scrimmage, targeted Mr. Wiggins, and fired 17 times, hitting Mr. Wiggins 13 times. Mr. Wiggins died on the scene.

            Hawley fled the scene but was later identified through eyewitness accounts and video footage from the school, by Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Detectives investigating the case.  Hawley was arrested in December 2021 and has been held in custody since.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jin Park and Mark Levy.

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WASHINGTON – Dandre Eric Davis, 31, a Maryland resident and employee at Luke C. Moore Opportunities Academy in Washington, D.C., was charged with distribution of child pornography in a complaint unsealed today, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

According to court documents, starting on January 12, 2026, Davis communicated with a user on an online dating application regarding his sexual interest in children. Over the week, Davis stated that he was a “kinky perv,” and that he was interested in children between 7-15 years old. Davis eventually moved the communications over to Telegram, an encrypted messaging application where Davis distributed two videos depicting sexual acts involving prepubescent boys.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

This case is being investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Kelley.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

Charges in a complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

The Director of Financial Management of the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) was charged today by criminal information and has agreed to plead guilty to accepting gratuities from a USADF contractor and then lying to federal law enforcement officers about those payments.

“Mathieu Zahui is charged with accepting payments from a government contractor and then abusing his position by directing USADF funds to that contractor for little-to-no work,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Corruption by senior officials representing the United States cheats American taxpayers and rigs the system against honest work. This plea agreement demonstrates the Criminal Division’s pursuit of bad actors who engage in waste and abuse in government contracting.”

“The USADF Director of Financial Management’s fraudulent acts betrayed the trust of the American people,” said Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean M. Bottary of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG). “As the Inspector General with continued oversight jurisdiction over U.S.-funded foreign assistance, we will utilize our global investigative reach to aggressively detect and disrupt those who defraud taxpayer dollars programmed overseas.”

According to court documents, Mathieu Zahui, 59, of Fairfax, Virginia, who referred to himself as the “CFO” of USADF, arranged for USADF to pay USADF vendors and contractors through a Kenya-based company, Company-1. Company-1 was owned by a government contractor (CC-1), whom Zahui had known for over 20 years. Between June 2020 and December 2023, Zahui arranged for Company-1 to act as a pass-through for USADF’s payments to certain vendors, rather than have USADF pay the vendors directly. For example, when USADF needed to pay a past-due debt to a staffing vendor, Zahui directed the vendor to invoice Company-1 instead of USADF. Company-1 then invoiced USADF for the vendor’s past-due amount, but added a mark-up of over $20,000 to the amount owed. Zahui approved Company-1’s invoice even though he knew that Company-1 had provided no services related to the vendor’s work.

Zahui approved pass-through invoices for Company-1 that included mark-ups ranging from 17% to 66% above the amounts owed to the vendors, even when Company-1 did no work justifying the mark-up. In total, Company-1 submitted more than 20 pass-through invoices to USADF, for which Zahui caused USADF to pay at least $617,625.49 to Company-1. Of this total amount paid, Company-1 retained $134,886.34 as a mark-up. In connection with this pass-through contracting and invoicing by Company-1, as well as other official acts to benefit Company-1, Zahui accepted $12,000 in cash payments directly from CC-1.

Zahui and CC-1 did not disclose this conduct to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which oversaw and authorized USADF’s payments to external parties. With Zahui’s involvement, CC-1 falsely stated on Company-1’s invoices that Company-1 had provided “logistical support” to USADF when, in fact, it had nothing to do with logistical support. For example, in late 2020, USADF owed a membership fee of $50,000 to a professional networking organization serving the African diaspora. Instead of having USADF pay its membership fee directly, Zahui directed CC-1 to have Company-1 submit an invoice to USADF that included the membership fee so that Company-1 could act as a pass-through for the $50,000 payment to that organization. The invoice submitted claimed that Company-1 provided “logistical assistance support for ADF” and included a mark-up of $9,900.08.

When interviewed by federal law enforcement agents in 2024, Zahui was asked about his relationship with CC-1 and falsely stated that he had never received any benefits from CC-1 when, in fact, he had received $12,000 in cash payments from CC-1.

Zahui agreed to plead guilty to one count of accepting gratuities from CC-1 and one count of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer. He faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison for the gratuities charge and five years in prison for the false statement charge. His plea hearing will be scheduled by a federal district court judge. The judge will thereafter determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

USAID-OIG is investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Kyle Hankey of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sungtae Kang for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. 

WASHINGTON – Mathieu G. Zahui, 59, the Director of Financial Management for the United States African Development Foundation was charged today by criminal Information for accepting gratuities from a USADF contractor and then lying to federal law enforcement officers about those payments, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

Zahui, of Fairfax, Virginia, agreed to plead guilty to one count of accepting gratuities from the contractor and to one count of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer. He faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison for the gratuities charge and five years in prison for the false statement charge. His plea hearing will be scheduled by a federal district court judge. The judge will thereafter determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“President Trump has made it clear that he will put an end to the fraud, waste and abuse that was commonplace throughout these agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “There will be serious consequences whenever corruption is unearthed, whether at the U.S. African Development Foundation or any other foundation.”

“Mathieu Zahui is charged with accepting payments from a government contractor and then abusing his position by directing USADF funds to that contractor for little-to-no work,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Corruption by senior officials representing the United States cheats American taxpayers and rigs the system against honest work. This plea agreement demonstrates the Criminal Division’s pursuit of bad actors who engage in waste and abuse in government contracting.”

“The USADF Director of Financial Management’s fraudulent acts betrayed the trust of the American people,” said Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean M. Bottary of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General. “As the Inspector General with continued oversight jurisdiction over U.S.-funded foreign assistance, we will utilize our global investigative reach to aggressively detect and disrupt those who defraud taxpayer dollars programmed overseas.”

According to court documents, Zahui arranged for United States African Development Foundation (USADF) to pay the foundation’s vendors and contractors through a Kenya-based company, Company-1. 

Company-1 was owned by a government contractor, CC-1, whom Zahui had known for over 20 years. Between June 2020 and December 2023, Zahui arranged for Company-1 to act as a pass-through for USADF’s payments to these vendors, rather than have USADF pay the vendors directly. Zahui approved pass-through invoices for Company-1 that included mark-ups ranging from 17% to 66% above the amounts owed to the vendors, even when Company-1 did no work justifying the mark-up. 

For example, when USADF needed to pay a past-due debt to a staffing vendor, Zahui directed the vendor to invoice Company-1 instead of USADF. Company-1 then invoiced USADF for the vendor’s past-due amount, but added a mark-up of over $20,000 to the amount owed. Zahui approved Company-1’s invoice even though he knew that Company-1 had provided no services related to the vendor’s work.

In total, Company-1 submitted more than 20 pass-through invoices to USADF, for which Zahui caused USADF to pay at least $617,625.49 to Company-1. Of this total amount paid Company-1 retained $134.886.34 as a mark-up. In connection with this pass-through contracting and invoicing by Company-1, as well as other official acts to benefit Company-1, Zahui accepted $12,000 in cash payments directly from CC-1. 

Zahui and CC-1 did not disclose this conduct to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which oversaw and authorized USADF’s payments to external parties. With Zahui’s involvement, CC-1 falsely stated on Company-1’s invoices that Company-1 had provided “logistical support” to USADF when, in fact, it had nothing to do with logistical support. For example, in late 2020, USADF owed a membership fee of $50,000 to a professional networking organization serving the African diaspora. Instead of having USADF pay its membership fee directly, Zahui directed CC-1 to have Company-1 submit an invoice to USADF that included the membership fee so that Company-1 could act as a pass-through for the $50,000 payment to that organization. The invoice submitted claimed that Company-1 provided “logistical assistance support for ADF” and included a mark-up of $9,900.08.

When interviewed by federal law enforcement agents in 2024, Zahui was asked about his relationship with CC-1 and falsely stated that he had never received any benefits from CC-1 when, in fact, he had received $12,000 in cash payments from CC-1.

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG) is investigating the case.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sungtae Kang for the District of Columbia and Assistant Chief Kyle Hankey of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

###

WASHINGTON – A complaint unsealed this morning in U.S. District Court charges Brandon Postow, 40, of Maryland, with distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

According to court documents, starting on January 15, 2026, Postow communicated with a user on Telegram regarding his sexual interest in children. Postow, aka “Michael Brandon Russell,” distributed four videos depicting the sexual abuse of teenage and prepubescent boys during those communications. When the Telegram user mentioned that he had a young son, Postow stated that he was interested in sexually abusing the child.

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

This case is being investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

Charges in a complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – Antoine Turner, 32, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today to 312 months (26 years) in prison for the November 29, 2020, murder of Demeitri Anderson in the BENCO Shopping Plaza in Washington DC, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

           Turner pleaded guilty to second degree murder on September 5, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. His guilty plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 240–312-month prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Michael Ryan accepted the plea agreement and sentenced the defendant to 312 months.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 12:30 p.m., on November 29, 2020, the defendant, Antoine Turner, drove a rented red Nissan Versa to the 4500 block of B Street SE, Washington, DC, where he parked the car. The defendant then walked around the block from B Street SE to 46th Street SE, then took a left on East Capitol Street SE, and entered the rear alley behind the BENCO Shopping Plaza located at 4528 Benning Rd SE. He then walked to the front of Ken’s Beauty Supply located in the BENCO Shopping Plaza where at approximately 12:38 p.m., the defendant approached the victim, Demeitri Anderson, from behind and shot him repeatedly in the back of the head and body, killing him.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Coronado, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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WASHINGTON – Adam Muhammad, 40, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday for assaulting his ex-romantic partner with a knife and unlawfully possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Muhammad pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon (knife) and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction), in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on January 29, 2026. Sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2026.

            According to the government’s evidence, on September 16, 2025, Muhammad went to the home of the victim, his ex-romantic partner, on 7th Street Northwest. The two got into a verbal argument and eventually the defendant grabbed the victim. Fearing for her life, the victim grabbed a kitchen knife. When Muhammad attempted to take the knife from the victim, she slipped and fell on the floor. The defendant secured the knife and got on top of the victim, while she was laying the floor, pinning her in a fetal position and rendering her unable to move. He then dug a finger into her right collar bone with one hand while holding the knife blade to the victim’s neck with the other hand and stated words to the effect of “b***h, I’ll kill you, tell your baby dad you want to die.”

            In a separate incident only a week later, the defendant was found at an abandoned apartment complex with a loaded pistol on his person.  Due to a prior felony conviction, the defendant was prohibited from possessing firearms of any sort. When officers attempted to detain Muhammad, they felt a rigid metallic object protruding from the defendant’s rear. Officers performed a protective pat down which revealed a firearm. The recovered firearm was a black and silver Smith and Wesson 915 9mm handgun and had eight rounds in a 10-round capacity magazine.

            Muhammad was arrested on September 23, 2025, and has been in custody ever since.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The assault case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elias Feldman and the unlawful possession case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Franks.

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WASHINGTON – Julius Worthy, 42, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today, stemming from the homicide of Orlando Galloway and the attack of Shaquia Lewis on April 2, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Worthy was found guilty on November 21, 2025, by a Superior Court jury for second-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and related offenses. The Honorable Jason Park ordered him to serve the prison term of 41 years and five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on April 2, 2023, Worthy lived with Orlando Galloway in a one-bedroom apartment in the Capitol Hill area. The evening of the homicide, Worthy returned home and began arguing with Galloway over $20. As Galloway pleaded with Worthy that he would pay him the money, Worthy pulled out a firearm and shot eight times into the apartment, six of which struck Galloway. Worthy then grabbed a kitchen knife from the dishrack and stabbed Galloway five times in the neck. Worthy beat Galloway in the face repeatedly with the firearm, causing a piece of the frame to break off. Worthy then turned to Lewis and stabbed her multiple times while strangling her, causing her to lose consciousness. 

            Worthy remained in the apartment for over an hour with Galloway’s body and Lewis, calling multiple people on his phone to ask for help “cleaning up this mess,” adding that he was “killing two people.”  When Lewis tried to escape through the front door, Worthy attacked her again, stabbing her with a pair of scissors. A neighbor across the street heard Lewis screaming, saw Worthy attacking Lewis, and called 911.  Officers arrived shortly thereafter, and Worthy fled out the back door. During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that Worthy texted multiple individuals in the hours after the homicide, including stating, “I killed two people.”  

            Law enforcement arrested Worthy the following day, April 3, 2023, and he remained in custody since.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch investigated the case.

            Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Lawrence and Molly Smith prosecuted the case.

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A Canadian national pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after admitting he sexually exploited over 100 children by creating an online persona and targeting them on social media.

Ramanan Pathmanathan, 40, of Toronto, Canada, pleaded guilty to the production of child pornography and to coercion and enticement of a minor. Pathmanathan was arrested on Dec. 3, 2025, after being temporarily surrendered to the United States, where he has remained incarcerated pending trial.

“Today’s guilty plea marks a critical step toward justice for over 100 targeted victims in the United States who this predator harmed with his diabolical actions,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “For years, while hiding in another country behind a fabricated online persona, he used manipulation, threats, and fear to coerce unsuspecting juveniles into producing and engaging in sexually explicit acts, robbing them of their innocence. We will hold accountable anyone who preys on our children, including those who do it from behind a computer screen to ensure that victims are protected and treated with the dignity they deserve.”

As part of this plea agreement, Pathmanathan admitted that for seven years, up until the day of his arrest in Canada, Pathmanathan sexually exploited over 100 minor females. Pathmanathan posed as an American teenage boy while communicating with the minor victims over popular social media platforms. The victims ranged in ages from 11 to 17-years-old and were located all over the United States. While video chatting with the minor victims, Pathmanathan persuaded and coerced the children to engage in sexually explicit acts and, without their knowledge or consent, Pathmanathan screen recorded the minors while engaged in such behavior — collecting the videos of his abuse. When the children refused to engage in further sexually explicit conduct, Pathmanathan then further exploited them by threatening to distribute the recorded videos to their families and friends.

On Oct. 27, 2022, Pathmanathan pleaded guilty to similar offenses in Canada, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison under Canadian law.

For these charges, Pathmanathan faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison, in addition to fines and a period of supervised release. He will also pay restitution consisting of no less than $3,000 per victim. Pathmanathan is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27.

The FBI Houston Field office investigated the case. The Justice Department is grateful to the Toronto Police Service for their invaluable assistance. The Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division secured the temporary surrender of Pathmanathan from Canada.

Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

WASHINGTON – Ramanan Pathmanathan, 40, of Toronto, Canada, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with a prolific sextortion scheme that targeted more than 100 young children across the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Pathmanathan pleaded before Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to one count of production of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. Chief Judge Boasberg scheduled sentencing for May 27, 2026.

“Today my prosecutors took a particularly heinous child predator offline,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Pathmanathan targeted over a hundred children across our country, exposing them to pornography and then forcing them to commit horrendous acts for his own pleasure. Now, the only thing he will be exposed to is the inside of a prison cell. ”

“Today’s guilty plea marks a critical step toward justice for over 100 targeted victims in the United States who this predator harmed with his diabolical actions,” said Assistant Attorney General Duva. “For years, while hiding in another country behind a fabricated online persona, he used manipulation, threats, and fear to coerce unsuspecting juveniles into producing and engaging in sexually explicit acts, robbing them of their innocence. We will hold accountable anyone who preys on our children, including those who do it from behind a computer screen to ensure that victims are protected and treated with the dignity they deserve.”

According to court documents, Pathmanathan used multiple social media accounts – primarily Instagram and Facebook Messenger – to establish contact with at least 145 young girls and boys. Between at least March 2014 up until the day of his arrest on March 10, 2021, Pathmanathan posed as a teenage boy from New Jersey.

Pathmanathan demanded the minor victims engage in sexually explicit conduct while they participated in video chats with him. He directed them to expose their genitals, to penetrate their vaginas, and to engage in sexual acts with dogs, siblings, and other relatives. In almost all the video chats with his minor victims, Pathmanathan sent the children images of adults engaged in sexual acts to show them how to do what he was requesting.

Pathmanathan recorded his victims’ sexually explicit conduct and saved the files on his desktop computer. Some of the victims were as young as six-years-old. When the minor victims would decline to continue to engage in sexually explicit conduct or blocked Pathmanathan’s social media accounts, he threatened to send images to the children’s friends or family.

On Oct. 27, 2022, Pathmanathan pleaded guilty to similar offenses in Canada, and was later sentenced to 12 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI Houston Field Office. The Department of Justice is grateful to the Toronto Police Service for their invaluable assistance. The Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division secured the temporary surrender of Pathmanathan from Canada.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie and Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

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WASHINGTON — The United States last week obtained legal title to more than $400 million worth of seized cryptocurrencies, real estate, and monetary assets tied to the operation of the darknet mixing service Helix, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

The assets were previously seized from Larry Dean Harmon, the operator of the Helix mixing service, which processed transactions involving over $300 million worth of cryptocurrency from 2014 to 2017.

“This case demonstrates that those who think the darknet provides a safe harbor for crime are dead wrong," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "My office, the Department of Justice, and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold criminals accountable—whether they act in broad daylight or hide behind a computer screen. We will find them, we will prosecute them, and we will cut them down.”

Harmon pleaded guilty in August 2021 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced in November 2024 to 36 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a forfeiture money judgment, and forfeiture of seized property. On Jan. 21, 2026—following the government’s settlement with a mortgage-holder on one of Harmon’s properties—Judge Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia entered a final order of forfeiture, declaring the assets forfeited to the government.

According to court documents, Helix was one of the most popular mixing services on the darknet and was highly sought after by online drug dealers who needed to launder their illicit proceeds. Helix was connected to Grams, a darknet search engine also run by Harmon. Helix processed at least approximately 354,468 bitcoin — the equivalent of approximately $311,145,854 in U.S. dollars at the time of the transactions — on behalf of its customers. Much of those funds were coming from or going to darknet drug markets. Harmon retained a percentage of these transactions as his commissions and fees for operating Helix.

Grams and Helix were designed to connect to or otherwise support all of the major darknet markets at the time. Helix’s Application Program Interface (API) enabled darknet markets to integrate Helix directly into their bitcoin withdrawal systems. Investigators traced tens of millions of dollars from darknet markets to Helix.

Joining in the announcement were Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Guy Ficco, and FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division.

The IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit and FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance for the investigation and seizure of assets provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

The Attorney General’s Ministry of Belize and the Belize Police Department provided essential support for the investigation and seizure of assets, coordinated through U.S. Embassy Belmopan. The investigation was coordinated with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

This case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock, Jr. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Trial Attorneys C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Christopher B. Brown of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section (formerly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia).

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Last week, the government obtained legal title over more than $400 million in seized cryptocurrencies, real estate, and monetary assets tied to the operation of the darknet mixing service, Helix. As a mixing service, Helix blended cryptocurrency from multiple users and routed the funds through a series of transactions designed to obscure the funds’ sources, destinations, and owners.

The United States previously seized the assets from Larry Dean Harmon, the operator of Helix, which processed transactions involving over $300 million worth of cryptocurrency from 2014 to 2017. Harmon pleaded guilty in August 2021 to conspiracy to commit money laundering and was sentenced in November 2024 to 36 months’ in prison, three years of supervised release, a forfeiture money judgment, and forfeiture of seized property. On Jan. 21, Judge Beryl A. Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia entered a final order of forfeiture, declaring the assets forfeited to the government.

According to court documents, Helix was one of the most popular mixing services on the darknet and was highly sought after by online drug dealers seeking to launder their illicit profits. Helix processed at least approximately 354,468 bitcoin — the equivalent of approximately $300 million in U.S. dollars at the time of the transactions — on behalf of its customers. Much of those cryptocurrency were coming from or going to darknet drug markets. Harmon retained a percentage of these transactions as his commissions and fees for operating Helix.

Harmon designed Helix and darknet search engine, Grams, to connect to or otherwise support all of the major darknet markets at the time. Helix’s Application Program Interface (API) enabled darknet markets to integrate Helix directly into their bitcoin withdrawal systems. Investigators traced tens of millions of dollars from darknet markets to Helix.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia; Chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Guy Ficco; and Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division made the announcement.

The IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit and FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

The Attorney General’s Ministry of Belize and the Belize Police Department provided essential support for the investigation, coordinated through U.S. Embassy Belmopan. The investigation was coordinated with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Trial Attorneys C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Christopher B. Brown of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section (formerly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock Jr. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia handled the case.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.

WASHINGTON – Javan King, 42, of Laurel, Maryland, has been charged with stealing thousands of government cell phones when he worked for the Department of Justice, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

             According to the criminal Information, which was filed on Tuesday and appeared on the Court’s docket today, between approximately 2021 and 2025 while he worked as an information technology contractor for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, King defrauded DOJ out of more than $1.3 million by successfully requesting that DOJ order thousands of mobile devices that the Department did not need.

            After phones were shipped to King at DOJ, he sold them to phone reselling businesses. In total, those businesses paid him more than $1.3 million for the phones. The Information, which charges King with one count of mail fraud, further alleges that the Department of Justice suffered an actual loss of over $1.3 million because of fees that it paid AT&T for the unnecessary phone lines and phones. 

           This case is being investigated by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman.

           An Information is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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WASHINGTON – Michelle Shropshire, 55, of Waldorf, Md., and Harlisha Jones, 50, of Clinton, Md., and Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with a health care fraud scheme in which they conspired to obtain fraudulent health care and disability payments totaling nearly $60,000. Shropshire also admitted to spearheading a broader scheme involving other WMATA employees that resulted in approximately $360,000 in fraudulent health care and disability payments, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

          Shropshire and Jones pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and health care fraud. Sentencing for Shropshire is scheduled for June 11, 2026. Jones will be sentenced June 15, 2026. Judge Contreras will determine any sentences for Shropshire and Jones after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

           In pleading guilty, Shropshire and Jones admitted that, from approximately June 2021 through January 2024, while employed as Train Operators by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), they conspired to use Jones’s insurance policies with American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC) to submit fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims for injuries, medical treatments, and disability periods that did not exist. 

           Shropshire and Jones also admitted that, in executing their scheme, they used the information of real doctors to create fraudulent medical excuse notes and physician’s statements, including forged doctors’ signatures, and then submitted those documents to AFLAC in support of the insurance claims. Shortly after AFLAC paid each claim to Jones, she paid a kickback to Shropshire using a percentage of the total claim payment. As a result of those fraudulent insurance claims, AFLAC paid Jones approximately $58,750, of which Jones paid approximately 20% back to Shropshire.

          Shropshire also admitted that in addition to Jones, she assisted numerous other WMATA employees with submitting fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims to AFLAC. As a result of that broader scheme, AFLAC paid at least $362,035 in phony insurance benefits to Shropshire, Jones, and other WMATA employees. In addition to Shropshire and Jones, five other former WMATA employees previously admitted to their involvement in Shropshire’s scheme, including paying kickbacks to Shropshire using a portion of the claim payments they received, and have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.  Each is currently awaiting sentencing.

           Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office and Inspector General Michelle Zamarin of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General.

          These cases are being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the WMATA Office of Inspector General. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Kelly and Diane Lucas.

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WASHINGTON – Andre Foster, 49, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 15 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a Glock 19 pistol that had been modified for fully automatic fire, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Foster pleaded guilty Oct. 24, 2025, before Judge Amy Berman Jackson to one of count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. In addition to the 15- month prison sentence, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Forster to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Metropolitan Police officers and emergency workers were called April 15, 2025, to the 2500 block of Sheridan Road, SE, for a report of an unconcious man on the sidewalk.

As EMT personnel rendered aid. Foster regained consciousness and MPD officers observed a firearm protruding from Foster’s right-side jacket pocket. The firearm was a Glock19 9mm handgun loaded with a 17-round extended magazine containing 14 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber. The Glock also was modified with a “giggle switch” that allowed the firearm to function as a machine gun.

Foster previously had been convicted of attempted distribution of cocaine and sentenced in Superior Court to three-to-nine years in prison. Because of his conviction, he was prohibited from carrying any firearm.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Roman.

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WASHINGTON – Darran Joyner, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 32 years in prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl on multiple occasions, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Joyner was convicted by a Superior Court jury on July 8, 2025, on seven felony charges, including multiple counts of first- and second-degree child sexual abuse. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Todd Edelman ordered Joyner to serve 10 years of supervision. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.

            According to the government’s evidence, on May 27, 2023, the twelve-year-old victim was spending Memorial Day weekend with Joyner and Joyner’s girlfriend and slept in the bed with them. In the early morning of May 28, 2023, Joyner’s girlfriend pulled back the covers and saw that the Joyner’s hand was inside of the front of the victim’s pants. Later that night Joyner texted the victim, first asking her to lie about the sexual abuse, then asking the victim if she wanted him to touch her. Joyner raped the victim after sending the text messages. On May 29, the victim disclosed the abuse to her mother. Joyner’s DNA was on swabs collected during the victim’s sexual assault examination. The victim told the jury that the May incident was not the first time that Joyner had abused her, and that he had also raped her at his house, also located in Washington, D.C.

           Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Victim Advocates Maria Sanchez-Garcia and Johnny Da Silva; Paralegals Nancy Murillo and Veronica Yale; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Folse and Richard Kelley, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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WASHINGTON – A complaint was unsealed today charging Angel Anthony Rios, 29, of the District of Columbia, with distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

“Those who exploit children will find no refuge,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “My office will pursue swift and decisive prosecution of anyone involved in the creation, possession, or distribution of child sexual abuse material.”

According to court documents, starting on Dec. 18, 2025, Rios exchanged messages with another user on X regarding a variety of topics including politics. Rios ultimately stated that he has a sexual interest in children. He further stated that he communicated with the father of a three-year-old boy who sent Rios videos depicting his sexual abuse of his son. Rios distributed five videos depicting the abuse of the three-year-old son. During the course of his communications, Rios stated, “Kids are here to be used.”

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

This case is being investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Janani Iyengar.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

Charges in a complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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WASHINGTON – Lawerence Perryman, 76, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged today, with first-degree cruelty to children and first-degree felony murder for the death of a 17-month-old child on March 12, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Perryman made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Dorsey Jones on January 23, 2026, where Judge Jones found probable cause that Perryman committed the offense of first-degree cruelty to children and felony murder and ordered that Perryman be held without bond pending a preliminary hearing which is scheduled for February 2, 2026, before Judge Neal Kravitz. 

           According to court documents, on March 12, 2025, at approximately 7:00 a.m., Perryman contacted 911 for an unconscious 17-month-old child.  A post-mortem examination was conducted on the child’s remains and his cause of death was determined to be “Combined Toxic Effects of Diphenhydramine and Methadone.” 

           Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma McArthur.

           These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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WASHINGTON – Thierno Barry, 23, of Queens, New York, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to the March 2025 swatting of a random Northwest residence and a subsequent carjacking of an elderly couple the same day at Union Station, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Barry pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking, to one count of interstate transport of a stolen vehicle, and to making false alarms and reports before Judge Reggie B. Walton.

            According to court documents filed by the Government, at about midnight on March 31, 2025, Barry was being pursued by Virginia State Police when he drove into the District. Barry abandoned the vehicle he was driving in an alley behind 4300 block of Reno Road, NW. Metropolitan Police officers responded to the area at 12:21 a.m., recovered the vehicle, but were unable to locate Barry.

            At 1:30 a.m., Barry called 911 and falsely reported to the operator that his ex-husband had shot his wife in the face and chest. He indicated that the shooter had driven away. Barry provided an address on Brandywine Street NW where he claimed the shooting had occurred. At the time Barry made the report, he knew that it was false.

            MPD responded to the address of the reported shooting and made contact with the residents of the house, who were asleep when MPD arrived.

            Barry remained in the area until 2:30 a.m., then traveled by bus to Union Station. At 3:37 a.m., Barry approached a Buick sedan occupied by an 88-year-old man and an 87-year-old woman who had been stopped directly in front of the station.

            Barry approached the driver’s side, then reached into the open window and opened the driver’s side door. Barry ordered the couple out of the car repeatedly, stating “Get out of the car! If you don’t, I’m gonna kill you.” Barry told the victims that he had a gun and held his hand in the pocket of his sweatshirt to imitate a firearm.

            The victims told Barry that they could not give him the car because they were on their way to the hospital, but Barry continued to threaten them and demand the car.

            With the driver’s door still opened,  Barry grabbed hold of the driver’s upper body, physically wrenched him out of the vehicle, and threw him to the ground. Barry stepped over the man and climbed into the driver’s seat. The woman passenger got out of the car. With the doors still open and the man still on the ground, Barry drove away, eventually reaching a gas station in Greenbelt, Maryland. During that drive, images of the car were captured by a speed camera. Barry only stopped driving after the car suffered a flat tire.

            The Greenbelt Police Department apprehended Barry, who initially identified himself as with the alias “Usaman Barrie.”

            This case was investigated by the MPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the Greenbelt Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan, who is detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the United States Capitol Police.

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WASHINGTON – Daniel Ivan Cruz Ramirez, 28, of Brandywine, Maryland, was ordered detained pending trial today in U.S. District Court in connection with producing child pornography of a 13-year-old girl, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            On Jan. 13, 2026, Cruz Ramirez was charged by complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of a child for producing a 26-minute video depicting his rape of the 13-year-old victim. At a Jan. 22, 2026, detention hearing, Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui detained Cruz Ramirez pending trial.

            “This case represents the ultimate nightmare for any parent,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “An individual who targets his victim at church, exploits a place meant to protect children – to prey on the most innocent and vulnerable. My office will use every tool available to bring to justice those who exploit our children.”

            According to court documents, Cruz Ramirez met the victim at church services when she was twelve-years-old. Cruz Ramirez began texting the victim and told her that he liked her on her first day of school in the eighth grade. Cruz Ramirez sexually abused the victim multiple times in 2025, including vaginally penetrating her. On Nov.17, 2025, Cruz Ramirez recorded a series of videos with the victim, including a 26-minute video depicting vaginal and oral penetration of the victim.

            This case was investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Kelley and Amanda Swanson.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

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WASHINGTON – Elmer Bonilla, 23, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in federal prison in connection with his role in a 2024 violent carjacking conspiracy which operated in the District and Maryland and continued even after several members were arrested, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Bonilla pleaded guilty on May 30, 2025, before Judge Rudolph Contreras to one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and aiding and abetting.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 24, 2024, Bonilla and two co-conspirators were driving an SUV in Northwest when they stopped and blocked a Dodge Challenger. Two of the armed and masked men approached the driver, ordered him to get out, punched him in the face, then stole the car. 

            On Jan. 25, 2024, Bonilla and his co-conspirators were driving in a white Kia Sportage when they pulled into the parking lot of a pharmacy in Hyattsville, Maryland. The Kia pulled behind a black BMW and blocked it from leaving. Two armed men in ski masks approached the BMW’s driver, opened the driver’s side door, pointed a gun at the driver’s torso and demanded the car. The gunmen took the BMW, drove it away, and the Kia Sportage followed.

            On Jan. 26, 2024, after the arrest of Bonilla’s, co-defendant, Gregory Giron, Bonilla and two other co-conspirators drove to Giron’s house in a tan SUV. One co-conspirator used a key to enter the Giron’s residence. A few minutes later, the same individual exited the rear of the residence carrying a white trash bag. The co-conspirator got back into the SUV and law enforcement stopped the SUV as it began to drive away.

            The front seat passenger, Dylan Giron, was the same individual who had entered and exited the house, carrying a white trash bag. The driver of the vehicle was Dylan Giron’s girlfriend. Sitting in the backseat were Bonilla and Christian Rodriguez. When Dylan Giron was inside the residence, Bonilla and Rodriguez were directing Dylan Giron to remove evidence via text message.

            Months later, on Aug. 6, 2024, Bonilla and others stole a 2021 Infinity Q50 in Silver Spring, Maryland. At the time it was stolen, the car contained the owner’s ID and bank cards, which were found in a later search of Rodriguez’s residence.

            On Aug. 7, 2024, Bonilla broke into another vehicle in Silver Spring and took a wallet, which was also later found in Rodriguez’s residence. The same day, Bonilla and co-conspirators stole a Corvette in Alexandria, Virginia using an Autel device. The device was later recovered in Bonilla’s car. On Aug. 9, 2024, pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement searched Bonilla’s residence and recovered a Glock magazine hidden in a crawl space, a 1911-style BB gun, $3,920 in cash, a baggie of white, rock-like substance, and a programmable key fob.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police, Baltimore County Police, Alexandria City Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caelainn Carney with assistance provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Martin.

The firearm police recovered from Bonilla’s residence.

A baggie of white, rock-like substance that police recovered from Bonilla’s residence.

A programmable key fob recovered from Bonilla’s residence.

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WASHINGTON – Armando Gomez Nunez, a Mexican national and senior leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), was charged in a two-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine for importation into the United States and carrying and using firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices, in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            “President Trump has made it clear that we will pursue every legal avenue to hold transnational criminal organizations accountable for their crimes against the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Now one of the most dangerous criminals in Mexico is in U.S. custody as we continue our fight against one of the largest, most violent drug trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere.”

            CJNG is one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking organizations operating in Mexico and is responsible for exporting tonnage quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and illicit opioids into the United States. CJNG was designated by the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) for conducting intimidating acts of violence, including attacks on Mexican military and police with military grade weaponry, the use of drones to drop explosives on Mexican law enforcement and assassinations or attempted assassinations of Mexican officials.

            Gomez Nunez, aka “Delta 1” and “Maximo,” is the reputed leader and commander of Los Deltas, a violent enforcement and assassination cell of CJNG. Mexican authorities arrested Gomez Nunez in December 2025. He is one of 37 Mexican nationals who arrived in the United States on Jan. 20, 2026 following their expulsion by Mexico.

            “Securing the largest transfer to date of fugitives from Mexico to the United States is another victory in the Department of Justice’s battle to eliminate transnational criminal organizations and secure our border,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Mexico’s use of its National Security Law to transfer these 37 fugitives ensures that justice will neither be delayed nor denied. With great thanks to our law enforcement partners and the Government of Mexico, the Department of Justice intends to move swiftly to prosecute each fugitive to the fullest extent of the law.”  

            This transfer marks only the third time that Mexico has used its National Security Law to expel fugitives to the United States. It is also the largest such transfer of fugitives to occur—the first transfer, on Feb. 27, 2025, involved 29 fugitives, and the second, on Aug. 12, 2025, involved 26 fugitives.

            The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – Felipe Contreras-Varillas, 31, a Mexican citizen who has been previously deported three times, was charged in a complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court with unlawful re-entry after removal from the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Contreras-Varillas was arrested Jan. 12, 2026, on a felony charge out of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia of arranging for a sexual contact with a real or fictious child by the United States Attorney’s Office Investigations Unit and the Metropolitan Police Department. When he was processed by law enforcement later that day, his fingerprints matched those on file with the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

            The fingerprints confirmed that Contreras-Virallas was a citizen of Mexico, had been deported on three separate occassions from the United States, and had not obtained permission to re-enter the United States from either the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

            “Here is yet another case of an illegal immigrant, coming to the United States, after being deported three times with nothing more than a slap on the wrist, with the purpose of preying on our children,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Now, this criminal is finally being held accountable and will be enjoying his latest illegal stay in America from the confines of his prison cell.”

            According to court documents, law enforcement arrested Contreras-Virallas at a hotel on the 1700 block of Euclid Street, NW, where Contreras-Varillas allegedly had intended to meet an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old boy.

            At the time of his arrest, Contreras-Viralles was in possession of both his Mexican passport and his birth certificate. He was previously removed from the United States by ICE on three separate occasions, with the most recent removal occurring at Laredo, Texas, in 2017.  

            This case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Investigations Unit and the MPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Swanson, Josh Satter, and David Liss. 

 

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WASHINGTON – Joseph Fargnoli, 61, of Rochester, New York, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with his role in a multi-year scheme to defraud investors and lenders out of approximately $250 million, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Fargnoli is one of five former principals of the now-defunct Theia Group, a DC-based aerospace start-up company. He pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud before Judge Royce C. Lamberth.

            Fargnoli, who served as Theia Group’s Chief Technology Officer, is the first defendant to plead guilty in the case. The four additional Theia Group defendants include executives Erlend Olson, John Gallagher, Stephen Buscher, and Jamil Swati, who each face similar charges. Olson is additionally charged with evading more than $3.9 million in personal federal income taxes.

            According to court documents, Theia planned to launch 112 satellites starting in 2022 at a cost of $10 billion to $15 billion. Theia’s principals originally planned to raise the requisite funds from various nation-states by promising perpetual data and analytics for an upfront cost of $2 billion. However, from Theia’s founding in 2015 through its placement into receivership in 2021, Theia was unsuccessful in obtaining any funding from nation-states. Instead, Theia obtained approximately $250 million in loans and investments that Theia’s principals induced by fraud.

            The fraud scheme allegedly included materially false statements about revenue from non-existent government contracts, provision of multiple false financial statements, including a fake $6 billion escrow account statement, and false representations about Theia’s technical capabilities.

            This case is being investigated by the Justice Department’s Tax Division, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Office.

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca G. Ross and Jolie F. Zimmerman and Trial Attorney Alexis Hughes of the Tax Division.

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WASHINGTON – Nicholas Moore, 24, of Springfield, Tennessee, pleaded guilty this morning in U.S. District Court in connection with hacking the electronic filing system of the U.S. Supreme Court at least 25 times and additionally hacking accounts at AmeriCorps and the Veterans Administration Health System, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Moore pleaded guilty to a one count information charging him with fraud activity in connection with computers, a Class A misdemeanor. Moore is eligible for up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 when he is sentenced by Judge Beryl A. Howell on April 17.

            According to court documents, the electronic filing system was restricted to authorized users. Between Aug. 29, 2023, and Oct. 22, 2023, Moore accessed the filing system without authorization using the stolen credential of an authorized user over 25 days, sometimes returning to the site multiple times on the same day.

            On three occasions, Moore posted screenshots to his Instagram account, @ihackedthegovernment, of his victim’s Supreme Court filing system details including the victim’s name and other information.

            Moore also used the stolen credentials of an authorized user of MyAmeriCorps to access a second victim’s AmeriCorps account. Between Aug. 17, 2023, and Oct. 13, 2023, Moore obtained the second victim’s personal information from the AmeriCorps servers. On Oct. 17, 2023, Moore posted that victim’s personal information to the @ihackedthegovernment Instagram account.

            Additionally, Moore used the stolen login credentials of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran to access the Department of Veterans Affairs “MyHealthEVet” platform on five days between Sept. 14, 2023, and Oct. 14, 2023. The hack allowed Moore to access the veteran’s private health information including prescribed medications and other intimate data. Moore then posted the veterans' health information to @ihackedthegovernment and boasted about gaining access to the VA’s servers.

            This case was investigated by the Supreme Court of the United States Police - Protective Intelligence Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office with assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General.

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Borchert and Rami Sibay for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Darrell Hinkle, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 21 years in prison for the April 2023 murder of Dajuan Blakney in front of an apartment complex in Southeast Washington, DC, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            On September 4, 2025, defendant Hinkle pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed in D.C. Superior Court. In sentencing the defendant, the Honorable Jason Park accepted the agreed-to sentencing range of 17 to 21 years and sentenced the defendant to 21 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, at 12:01 a.m. on April 21, 2023, Hinkle parked his vehicle in front of an apartment complex located at 1511 19th Street SE. Thereafter, the defendant approached the victim, who was seated on the steps leading to the entrance of the complex. When Hinkle was within a few feet of the victim, he shot him with an assault-style rifle, killing him. He then fled the scene in his vehicle.

            The defendant was arrested in October of 2023 and has been in custody since.

            Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was investigated by officers, detectives, and other personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Carson.

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WASHINGTON – Erick Blanco-Cordova, 24, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to pointing a firearm at a taxicab driver in November 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Blanco-Cordova pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Judge Robert Salerno scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2026.

            Blanco-Cordova’s codefendant, Lesly Taracena, was found guilty by a jury in April 2025 of conspiracy to commit an armed crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and other related charges, and was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2025.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 6:55 p.m., on November 11, 2019, Blanco-Cordova  and Taracena were picked up in Arlington, Virginia by the victim, a taxicab driver, and asked to be taken to Union Station in Washington, D.C. The victim drove the defendants to the corner of 7th and F Street, NW, at which point Blanco-Cordova and Taracena exited the victim’s taxicab without paying their fare. The victim followed them and asked them to pay. Taracena turned around and pulled a firearm out of her pocket, pointing it at the victim while Blanco-Cordova stood next to her. The victim ran away in fear. When MPD stopped the defendants, they found a 40 caliber Smith and Wesson SD40VE semi-automatic handgun on Blanco-Cordova.

            Blanco-Cordova was arrested in Maryland in March 2025 on weapons charges and has been in custody ever since.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katerina Qesari.

            The co-defendant Lesly Taracena was prosecuted by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Skopicki and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katerina Qesari.

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WASHINGTON – Marcus Hazel, 32, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to strangling his romantic partner Sandy Watts, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

           Hazel pleaded guilty today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of strangulation. A Superior Court judge released the defendant today over the government’s objection pending sentencing, which is set for March 20, 2026.

           According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 9:00 a.m., on November 28, 2025, the defendant and Ms. Watts were at an apartment in the 2700 block of New York Avenue, NE, when Hazel became angry about losing his cell phone. Ms. Watts offered to let the defendant use her cell phone until his was found or he bought a new one. Hazel became upset by this response and told Ms. Watts he did not want to use her phone. He wanted her to buy him a new cell phone. He began cursing at Ms. Watts and arguing with her. She asked the defendant several times to leave the apartment. He then placed both hands around Ms. Watts’ neck, applying pressure and restricting her ability to breathe. After that, he slammed the victim to the floor and continued applying pressure to her neck with both hands, again restricting her breathing. By the time Hazel released her, the victim had nearly lost consciousness. He then fled the scene on foot.

The defendant was arrested on November 29, 2025, and has been in custody ever since. 

           Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

           The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elias Feldman of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – George Sydnor, 46, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today for charges related to the stabbing of Christy Bautista, 31, in March 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

           Sydnor pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated) on October 17, 2025. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz sentenced Sydnor to the prison term to be followed by five years of supervised release.

           “The victim, Christy Bautista, was visiting D.C. to attend a concert—an experience that should have been safe and routine,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Instead, this monster brazenly rode his bike up to her motel, entered her room, and launched a deadly stabbing attack against an innocent woman. Today’s 40-year prison sentence delivers justice and sends a clear message: those who commit acts of extreme violence will be held fully accountable.”

           According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 5:22 p.m., on March 31, 2023, the victim, Ms. Bautista, arrived at the Ivy City Hotel, located in the 1600 block of New York Avenue Northeast, D.C., after traveling from her home in Harrisonburg, Virginia to D.C. to attend a concert. She rented a room at the hotel and, after checking in, began to unload her personal items from her car. Sydnor was captured on surveillance footage, arriving at the hotel on a rideshare bike, approximately an hour and a half later. The defendant rode his bike towards a group of hotel rooms located on the ground floor—near Ms. Bautista’s room. The rooms were accessible from the street. Sydnor parked his bike in front of Ms. Bautista’s window and then stood at her door as if listening in before abruptly entering her room slamming the door behind him. Once inside, the defendant attacked Ms. Bautista, stabbing her multiple times, killing her. Hotel surveillance footage captured several loud thud noises immediately after Sydnor entered Ms. Bautista’s room and a witness heard a woman screaming for help. At the time of this offense, Sydnor was on release for a previous attempted robbery case.

           Sydnor was arrested on March 31, 2023, and has been in custody since.

           Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended those who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Lindsey Merikas, who prosecuted the case.