District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro Addresses Successful Results in the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful InitiativeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro gave remarks at a press conference on the success of President Trump’s federal surge to bringdown crime rates in the District.
In her remarks, U.S. Attorney Pirro reflected on the remarkable progress her office made towards fighting crime in the nation’s capital. She thanked President Donald J. Trump for his unwavering commitment to law and order by implementing a surge in federal law enforcement resources, which bolstered our teams with additional agents, advanced tools and a no-nonsense mandate, and helped to create a renewed focus to crack down on violent offenders, dismantle criminal networks and restore safety to our streets.
“When President Trump assigned me to this Office in May of last year, we knew there was a lot of work to do in fighting crime here in D.C., said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “The crime rate here is one of the worst in the country and we needed to work swiftly and aggressively to turn things around for the better. Because of the President’s push and my Office’s intentional efforts, we have now seen a huge downturn in the crime statistics in just a short period of time. There is a lot of work to do but we are up to the task and making tremendous progress.”
She re-iterated her Office’s tough stance on crime by highlighting key successes in 2025 resulting from President Trump’s Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Initiative. In 2025, there were 8,406 arrests and 856 illegal guns taken off the streets. As a result of the surge starting in August, homicides are down 60%, robberies are down 49%, carjackings are down 68% and overall crime is down 32% compared to the same time in 2024.
Going forward, U.S. Attorney Pirro explained that the safety of the residents of D.C. remains her office’s top priority, and they are taking major steps to combat crime.
Jury Convicts Seven Defendants in 2023 Carjacking SpreeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jaelen Jordan, 20, and Warren Montgomery, 21, both of Washington, D.C., and Bryon Gillum, 20, Isaiah Flowers, 20, Jahkai Goff, 21, Taj Giles, 20, and Irshaad Ellis-Bey, 20, all of Prince George’s County, MD, were found guilty today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges pertaining to three armed carjackings on February 27, 2023, April 27, 2023, and May 16, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The jury deliberated for approximately four days before finding the defendants guilty of multiple charges including armed carjacking.
“Stop lusting over other people’s cars and keep your hands to yourself unless you want to spend the next 15 years eating cold sandwiches in a correctional facility with likeminded lusters,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Specifically, the jury found Goff guilty of armed carjacking, armed robbery, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for his role in the February 27, 2023, armed carjacking.
The jury found Flowers guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, trafficking in stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle during a crime of violence, receiving stolen property, two counts of armed carjacking, two counts of armed robbery, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, for his role in the February 27, 2023, and May 16, 2023, armed carjackings.
The jury found Ellis-Bey guilty of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle during a crime of violence, armed carjacking, armed robbery, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for his role in the February 27, 2023, armed carjacking.
The jury found Montgomery guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, trafficking in stolen property, two counts of armed carjacking, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his role in the April 27, 2023, and May 16, 2023, armed carjackings.
The jury found Giles guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, trafficking in stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle during a crime of violence, receiving stolen property, two counts of armed carjacking, two counts of armed robbery, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his role in the February 27, 2023, and April 27, 2023, armed carjackings.
The jury found Jordan guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, trafficking in stolen property, two counts of armed carjacking, two counts of armed robberies, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and three counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for his role in the February 27, 2023, April 27, 2023, and May 16, 2023, armed carjackings.
The jury found Gillum guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, trafficking in stolen property, two counts of armed carjacking, two counts of armed robberies, and two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for his role in the February 27, 2023, and April 27, 2023, armed carjackings.
The jury also found that the May 16, 2023, carjacking was committed against a senior citizen.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 27, 2023, Goff, Flowers, Ellis-Bey, Giles, and Gillum carjacked the victim at gunpoint in the Dupont Circle area. The defendants used a Dodge Charger, carjacked in Maryland the day before, to commit this carjacking. After the carjacking, the victim’s vehicle, a 2013 Porsche Cayenne was brought to an apartment building parking garage in the 1300 block of Florida Avenue NE. Jordan subsequently sold the victim’s Porsche from that parking garage on March 1, 2023.
On April 27, 2023, Montgomery, Giles, Jordan, and Gillum carjacked another victim at gunpoint at the intersection of 8th and K Street NE. After the carjacking, the victim’s vehicle, a BMW X6, was brought back to the same apartment building parking garage in the 1300 block of Florida Avenue NE. Jordan subsequently sold the victim’s BMW to undercover police officers on April 27, 2023.
Finally, on May 16, 2023, Flowers, Montgomery, and Jordan carjacked a senior citizen at gunpoint in his driveway in the 600 block of Butternut Street NW. After the carjacking, the victim’s vehicle, a Porsche Cayenne GTS, was brought back to the same apartment building parking garage in the 1300 block of Florida Avenue NE. Jordan subsequently offered to sell the victim’s Porsche to undercover police officers on May 17, 2023.
Jordan was arrested on May 17, 2023, and the remaining defendants were arrested between October and December of 2023 as law enforcement identified them.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Marshals Service (USMS), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George’s County Police Department. She also acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Evans and Emily Clarke who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Four Non-Profits Agree to Pay over $3 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Involving Paycheck Protection Program LoansRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that it has reached civil settlement agreements with four different non-profit organizations to resolve allegations that the organizations violated the False Claims Act when they applied for and received loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).
Our Office has entered into settlement agreements with the following organizations to resolve allegations that they falsely certified eligibility for PPP loans.
League of United Latin American Citizens (the “LULAC”) is a Section 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that bills itself as the largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States. In 2020, LULAC applied for and received a first draw PPP loan in the amount of $122,644 and later sought and received forgiveness of that loan. In 2021, LULAC applied for and received a second draw PPP loan in the amount of $41,710 and later sought and received forgiveness of that loan as well. LULAC has agreed to pay $312,272.60 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining two PPP loans for which it was not eligible.
National Bureau of Asian Research (the “Bureau”) is a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that described its mission as a “research institution” that “helps decision-makers better understand Asia and craft concrete, actionable policy” and referred to itself as “the nation’s Asia policy think tank.” In early 2021, the Bureau applied for a “second draw” PPP loan in the amount of $411,111 and subsequently applied for and received complete forgiveness of that loan. After an analysis of the Bureau’s ability to pay pursuant to a settlement, the Bureau agreed to pay $475,000, plus interest, to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a PPP loan for which it was not eligible.
National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (“NCPERS”) is a Section 501(c)(4) non-profit trade association working on behalf of public sector retirement systems. In 2020, NCPERS applied for and received a first draw PPP loan in the amount of $143,412 and later sought and received forgiveness of that loan. In 2021, NCPERS applied for and received a second draw PPP loan in the amount of $118,052 and later sought and received forgiveness of that loan as well. NCPERS has agreed to pay $457,562 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining two PPP loans for which it was not eligible.
Prosperity Now is a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that describes its mission as seeking “policy change at all levels of Government” and engages in public policy research, advocacy, and lobbying. In early 2021, Prosperity Now applied for a “second draw” PPP loan in the amount of $1,532,800 and subsequently applied for and received complete forgiveness of that loan. After an analysis of Prosperity Now’s ability to pay pursuant to a settlement, Prosperity Now agreed to pay $2,081,523.15, plus interest, to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a PPP loan for which it was not eligible.
The forgoing organizations were allegedly not eligible for the identified PPP loans based on the statutes and regulations governing the loan program. In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES Act”) was created to provide emergency financial support to Americans suffering economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the PPP, the CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in potentially forgivable loans to small businesses and other entities struggling to pay employees and other business expenses during the pandemic, but the Act also contained important limitations on loan eligibility. For example, the CARES Act permitted certain nonprofit organizations to obtain PPP loans, but organizations organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code were never eligible for such loans. Similarly, Congress prohibited from “second draw” PPP loans those entities primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities, including those entities organized for research or for engaging in public policy advocacy or political strategy or publicly referring to themselves as “think tanks.” The non-profit organizations that entered settlement agreements with our Office were alleged to have falsely certified their eligibility for the PPP loans.
The civil settlements resulted from investigations by Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Tepe and Auditor Timothy C. Hurley. The United States Attorney further wishes to commend attorneys Caitlin J. Kelly and Kandace Zelaya of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the General Counsel for their assistance in the investigations.
Tips and complaint regarding potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or by submitting a NCDF Web Complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
District Man Sentenced to 16-Year Prison Term for Firing into Crowd with His Three AccomplicesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – James Outland, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for gunning down a crowd of people in Washington DC, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Outland pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree while armed in April 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Danya Dayson ordered Outland to serve the prison term on January 6, 2026. Co-defendant Bobby Gupton was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison for the same incident.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 28, 2023, in the vicinity of 748 19th Street NE, Washington D.C., co-defendants Bobby Gupton and James Outland, along with two other individuals, ran, in unison, towards a crowd located at a nearby intersection and each began discharging their firearms into the crowd. After discharging their respective firearms, all shooters fled the scene together. An innocent bystander, Ms. Tavonayna Glenn, sustained one gunshot wound to the chest, causing her death. Outland was arrested almost one year after the homicide and was in possession of a rifle-like firearm with 47 rounds of ammunition at the time of his arrest.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Alyssa Schroeder, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shauna Payyappilly and Daniel Seidel who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Brian Cole Jr. Charged in Indictment in Planting Explosive Devices Outside the RNC and DNC on Jan. 5, 2021Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Brian J. Cole, Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was charged in a federal indictment returned today in U.S. District Court in the planting of two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on January 5, 2021, at the headquarters of both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The federal indictment, which supersedes a prior federal indictment returned during the holidays by a D.C. Superior Court grand jury, charges Cole with interstate transportation of explosives and with malicious attempt to use explosives.
Joining in the announcement were U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Office, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
“Given that Cole crossed state lines and targeted the political leadership of both parties for which there is an inherent crime of federal jurisdiction, handling this in federal court is most proper,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The FBI and my office worked around the clock to ensure that this defendant is charged with the right crimes for his dangerous acts.”
On January 6, 2021, law enforcement discovered the IEDs near the DNC and RNC headquarters in Washington, D.C., both in close proximity to the U.S. Capitol. The same day Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 election, and U.S. lawmakers were assembled nearby to carry out that constitutional duty.
Neither device detonated, and the U.S. Capitol Police were able to carry out a “render safe procedure” on the IEDs without incident.
According to a complaint filed on Dec. 3, 2025, Cole purchased multiple components consistent with those used to manufacture the two IEDs during 2019 and 2020, at several retailers in northern Virginia.
At approximately 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, multiple law enforcement agencies received reports of a suspected IEDs near the headquarters of the RNC in Washington, D.C. About 1:15 p.m. the same day, a second suspected IED was reported just a few blocks away near the headquarters of the DNC.
Video surveillance determined that the same individual placed the devices on the evening of January 5, 2021. The suspect had been wearing dark pants, a grey hooded sweatshirt, dark gloves, Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes, and a facemask that obscured the person’s face. The video showed the individual adjusting eyeglasses and carrying a backpack.
On January 5, 2021, about 7:10 p.m., Cole’s Nissan Sentra was observed driving past a License Plate Reader at the South Capitol Street exit from I-395 South, which is less than one-half mile from the location where the individual who placed the devices was first observed on foot near North Carolina and New Jersey Avenues, SE.
Cell phone records further show that Cole’s cell phone communicated with cell towers in the area of the RNC and DNC on January 5, 2021, between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. The FBI’s Cellular Analysis and Survey Team determined that the location of Cole’s cell phone during this period corresponded with the path of the suspect identified by the FBI through analysis of video from that day.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
26cr1
coleb_indictment_26cr1_20260106pdf.pdf16-Year-Old Arrested on First Degree Murder ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keyonte Johnson, 16, of Washington, D.C., was arrested yesterday and charged as an adult with premeditated first-degree murder while armed for shooting and killing 20-year-old D.C. resident Roy Bennett, Jr., on the evening of December 5, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Johnson made his initial court appearance in the District of Columbia before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond, who found probable cause that Johnson committed the offense of premeditated first-degree murder while armed and ordered that Johnson be held without bond pending trial.
“This is yet another example of the out-of-control underage crime plaguing the district” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “President Trump is right – it is time to put an end to this predictable violence and time to lower the age of accountability so that I can start prosecuting these young criminals before they commit murder.”
According to court documents, on December 5, 2025, Johnson, the victim, and several other people were present in an apartment near Union Market in Northeast D.C. that was being used as a recording studio. As the victim was standing at the microphone, Johnson, who was seated behind him on a sofa, began shooting Bennett, striking him seven times, including twice in the back of the head and twice in the chest. As Johnson fled the scene, he threatened to kill a potential witness if they said anything about the murder.
During the execution of a Maryland search warrant where Johnson was arrested, investigators recovered five magazines, one fully loaded, a box of 10mm ammunition, several iron rifle sights, rifle ammunition, an empty red dot sight box and various clothing items consistent with what was worn by Johnson during the murder.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rashmika Nedungadi.
Johnson will next appear on January 14, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in courtroom 203 before Judge Michael Ryan for a preliminary hearing.
These charges are merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New Federal Charges in Killing of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and Shooting of Guardsman Andrew WolfeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who resided in Bellingham, Washington, was charged today in a complaint in U.S. District Court with federal counts in connection with the ambush-style shooting on November 26 that killed National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“The transfer of this case from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Sarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old when she was killed and her parents are now forced to endure the holiday season without their daughter. Andrew Wolfe, by the grace of God, survived but has a long road ahead in his recovery.”
Lakanwal was charged today with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with the intent to commit an offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, and with transporting a stolen firearm in interstate commerce.
Lakanwal remains charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of the D.C. Code.
According to court documents, Lakanwal allegedly drove his Toyota Prius from Bellingham, Washington, to the District of Columbia, while in possession of a stolen firearm. On Wednesday, November 26, at about 2:13 p.m., Lakanwal opened fire without provocation at 17th and I Streets, NW, near the Farragut West Metro Station, shooting Beckstrom and Wolfe in the head. Two Majors in the National Guard who were nearby subdued the suspect.
At the scene, investigators recovered a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver that had been reported stolen in Seattle, Washington, in 2023.
Ms. Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries on Thanksgiving, November 27. National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured in the ambush.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
25mj289
lakanwal_12-23-2025_25mj289_criminal_complaint.pdfLast of 8 Defendants Sentenced for Drug Trafficking in Trinidad NeighborhoodRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Levancie Carr, 43, a three-time convicted felon from the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to eight years in prison in connection with his role in a large open-air narcotics market that operated in the Trinidad neighborhood of the city, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Carr, aka “Locs,” pleaded guilty on Sept. 11, 2025, before Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to a two-count Information charging him with distribution of fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the eight-year prison term, Chief Judge Boasberg ordered Carr to serve five years of supervised release.
Carr is the last of eight defendants to be sentenced in the prosecution of the Trinidad drug market.
According to court documents, in June 2023, federal and local law enforcement agencies launched an investigation into drug sales in the Trinidad neighborhood of Northeast Washington. Surveillance cameras captured images of men on the 1100 block of Raum Street, NE, conducting hand-to-hand transactions of suspected narcotics on an almost daily basis. Members of the group routinely discouraged others from the block by approaching vehicles that came into the area and asking the occupants why they were there.
From June 2023 through March 2024, law enforcement made 42 controlled purchases of narcotics totaling more than 600 grams of fentanyl and 150 grams of crack cocaine.
Carr conducted 18 of the sales which include 15 grams of cocaine base, 28 grams of fentanyl, and 18 grams of fentanyl analogue. On May 27, 2024, agents executed a search warrant at Carr’s apartment, and recovered 375 grams of cocaine, five firearms, and $115,621 in cash.
During the course of the conspiracy, the Trinidad organization sold approximately 468 kilos of fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and cocaine base.
The Trinidad trafficking investigation was a multi-agency effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, the Narcotics Enforcement Unit of the Violent Crime Suppression Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty and Daniel Seidel of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 24cr246
NAME
AGE
AKA
CHARGES
Davon Cunningham
36
Tank,
Kevin
Sentenced to 126 months in prison on June 27, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and cocaine base.Levancie Carr
43
Locs
Sentenced to 96 months on Dec. 22, 2025, for distribution of fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.Roosevelt Richardson
48
Rose
Sentenced to 66 months on June 30, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and cocaine base.Dandre Goodwine
30
Dreads
Sentenced to 36 months on July 7, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and cocaine base.Jalonie Hooper
26
JR
Sentenced to 15 months on July 7, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base.Jvares Amaray Wright
49
Jay
Sentenced to 17 months on July 7, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and cocaine base and for criminal contempt.Edward Frizell Williams,Jr.
53
Pooh
Sentenced to 22 months on July 2, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and cocaine base.Arnez Mack
22
Sentenced to 12 months and one day on June 27, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and cocaine base.24cr246
Ambush Killing Leads to 22-Year Prison Term for District ManRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Maurice Corbin, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 22 years in prison for shooting Daquan Garner on North Capitol Street in Washington DC, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Corbin pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed in October 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Michael Ryan sentenced Corbin on December 19, 2025.
According to the government’s evidence, Corbin approached the unsuspecting victim on April 30, 2024 in the vicinity of 1501 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC, while the victim was seated in the driver's seat of a parked vehicle. Corbin discharged his firearm at the trapped victim multiple times through the front passenger window, causing the victim to sustain multiple gunshots wounds which ultimately caused his death.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Alyssa Schroeder, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shauna Payyappilly who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Two Defendants Plead Guilty in Shooting that Injured Dunbar High School StudentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Saki Frost, 19, and Azhari Graves, 19, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to multiple counts in relation to a shooting that occurred on May 3, 2024, near Dunbar High School that injured one student. The guilty pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Frost and Graves each pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license. Frost, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, was prosecuted as an adult under Title 16. As part of their sentences, both defendants will be required to register as gun offenders. Both defendants are set to be sentenced on March 20, 2026, before the Honorable J. Michael Ryan.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 3, 2024, at approximately 9:53 a.m., Graves and Frost opened fire on a sedan that was driving down Kirby Street NW, near Dunbar High School. A witness to the shooting reported hearing machine gun fire. Surveillance video captures Frost and Graves running down an alleyway holding firearms prior to the shooting. Surveillance video also captures the shooting, in which an individual appearing to be Frost, fires a gun toward the sedan. Surveillance footage also captures Graves after the shooting holding a firearm with the slide locked to the rear of the weapon, indicating that the weapon had been fired. Graves and Frost then fled the area in a vehicle. Later that day, MPD officers located the vehicle used by the defendants and arrested Graves and Frost. Investigators recovered a total of 29 shell casings from the scene of the shooting and numerous fragments from the exterior of Dunbar High School, as well as from classrooms inside the school. Investigators also observed at least six bullet strikes to the N Street side of Dunbar. During the shooting, one Dunbar student suffered a graze wound to the head from the gunfire.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The case was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kraig Ahalt and Courtney Scholz.
Shooter Pleads Guilty to Killing 17-Year-Old in MayRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Carlton Simon, 20, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to the shooting death of 17-year-old Angel Dominguez in Northwest D.C. this Spring, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Simon entered a guilty plea to second degree murder while armed before Superior Court Associate Judge Todd Edelman on December 17, 2025. Simon confirmed that, in shooting the decedent, he was acting voluntarily, and that he was not acting in self-defense. Judge Edelman ordered that Simon continue to be held without bond pending sentencing.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled to occur before Judge Edelman on February 20, 2026.
According to court documents, Simon, a classmate of the victim Angel Dominguez, approached Dominguez on Florida Avenue with a loaded firearm in tow. As the victim walked away from him, Simon pointed a gun at Dominguez’s back, before restraining him and ultimately shooting him in the chest. Dominguez died as a result of his injuries shortly thereafter.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rashmika Nedungadi.
Previously Deported Jamaican Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty in D.C. to Firearms Counts, Illegal Re-entryRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Damion Alexander Peddie, a Jamaican citizen who previously was convicted of multiple drug trafficking offenses and has been removed from the United States on at least four prior occasions, pleaded guilty this morning in U.S. District Court in connection with possessing a cache of weapons and narcotics and for illegally re-entering the country, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Peddie, 54, pleaded guilty before Judge Timothy J. Kelly to a three-count information charging him with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, to alien in possession of a firearm, and to unlawful re-entry of a previously removed alien. Judge Kelly scheduled sentencing for March 20, 2026.
Peddie faces a statutory maximum of 15 years imprisonment for each of his firearms offenses, and a statutory maximum of 20 years imprisonment for his unlawful re-entry offense.
“This guy is the worst of the worst,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “He’s a repeat offender, a convicted cocaine trafficker, an illegal alien after being deported four times, who had an arsenal of firearms and possessed fentanyl and crack cocaine in distribution quantities at his house in Northwest Washington. I’m going to make certain that this time he’s going to be sent away for a long, long time.”
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division.
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. Law enforcement had identified an alleged fentanyl and PCP trafficker with a stash house in the 2900 block of Knox Place. Over the course of their investigation into the trafficker’s narcotics suppliers, investigating agents determined that Peddie was conspiring with members of the drug trafficking operation (DTO) in the redistribution of fentanyl, amongst other narcotics.
On August 26, 2025, FBI agents executed a search warrant at a home on the 400 block of Taylor Street NW as part of a coordinated arrest and search warrant operation in connection with the Knox Place DTO investigation. After entering the building, the agents encountered Peddie walking down the stairs from the second floor.
In Peddie’s bedroom, agents found a “ghost gun,” that is, a privately manufactured black 9mm Polymer 80 pistol (PMF) with no serial number, and a .22 caliber handgun. Agents also recovered approximately seven pounds of marijuana, along with distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine, all of which Peddie possessed with the intent to distribute.
In the first floor of the home, agents found an H&R 32 S&W revolver, an AR-style ghost-gun, six ammunition magazines, various rounds of ammunition, and a High Point 9mm carbine rifle.
This criminal case is Peddie’s fifth conviction in United States District Court for unlawful re-entry of a previously removed alien. Peddie has been convicted of the same offense on four prior occasions: in the District of Maryland in January 1996, as well as the District of Columbia in May 2004, October 2010, and October 2013.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from the DEA Washington and Greenbelt Divisions and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, John Parron, and John Crabb of the Violence Reduction and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
25cr380
Judge Sentences Virginia Man for Kidnapping and Strangling His Romantic PartnerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Adam Ahmed, 38, of Chantilly, Virginia, was sentenced today to six years in prison for kidnapping his former girlfriend related to an incident that began in Manassas, Virginia on May 10, 2024, and ended in Northeast Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Ahmed was convicted by a jury on June 12, 2025, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, Ahmed was also sentenced to 42 months for strangulation, 28 months on each of two counts of felony threats, and 180 days for assault, all to run concurrently.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 9, 2024, Ahmed was arrested in Virginia on multiple warrants for protective order violations and assault charges against his former girlfriend. The next day, on May 10, 2024, the victim got into Ahmed’s car outside her home in Manassas, Virginia, believing that they would sit in her building parking lot and talk about their relationship. Instead, the defendant took off, driving erratically. Ahmed told the victim that they were both “going to die tonight,” and that if she was going to charge him with abduction, he was going to do it. The defendant drove onto I-66 and took the victim into the District, where he repeatedly assaulted her and threatened to kill her.
After several hours of terrorizing the victim, Ahmed told her that he was going to drive her somewhere no one would find her. When he stopped the car, he climbed over her and strangled her with both hands until she could not breathe. While strangling her, he bit her, putting his whole mouth over hers. He started driving again, eventually stopping at a Shell gas station on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue in Northeast. At one point, Ahmed walked away from the car, and the victim tried to escape; however, Ahmed picked her up and forced her back into the car. A passerby on the street saw the defendant hitting the victim and turned into the gas station parking lot, rescuing the victim and calling 911.
During the course of trial two expert witnesses spoke about the unique dangers inherit in strangulation, and violence in intimate partner violence relationships, respectively. Strangulation is widely recognized as one of the most lethal forms of intimate partner violence, as a major strangulation study in San Diego found surviving domestic violence “victims are much more likely to die later if their abuser has strangled them.” The study also noted that “…..the odds of becoming a victim of attempted homicide increased by 700%, and the odds of becoming a homicide victim increased by 800%, among women who had been strangled by their partner.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section has charged well over 100 acts of felony strangulation since the D.C. Council created it as a criminal offense under D.C. Code 22-404.04, which went into effect in July of 2023.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of the officers and detectives at the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scannell; Victim Witness Service Coordinators Katina Adams-Washington and Tonya Jones; Supervisor Leif Hickling of the Trial Graphics Unit; Paralegal Specialists Cynthia Muhammad and Veronica Yale; Appellate Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bryan Han and Dan Lenerz; Victim/Witness Advocate ShaDonna Brooks-Ferere; Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Swanson, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Trisha Jhunjhnuwala.
District Man Sentenced in Armed Carjacking at Northeast Washington D.C. Gas StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Terrell Edmondson, 19, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in federal prison in connection with an October 2024 armed carjacking in Northeast Washington that was documented by multiple surveillance cameras and by evidence that Edmondson posted to his own Instagram account, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Edmondson pleaded guilty on August 13 before Judge Beryl A. Howell to a count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition to the 84-month prison sentence, Judge Howell ordered Edmondson to serve five years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Michael Sullivan of the U.S. Capitol Police.
According to court records, on Oct. 4, 2024, about 2:15 a.m., MPD officers responded to a report of an armed carjacking on the 5700 block of Eads Street NE. The victim was at a gas station when a blue Mercedes pulled up next to him. Two masked and armed gunman, one of whom was identified as Edmondson, got out of the Mercedes and demanded the victim’s 2006 Infiniti M35X. One of the gunmen pointed a firearm at the victim’s face. The two gunmen fled with the Infiniti. At about 3:05 a.m. Edmondson posted a video to his Instagram account of the carjacked Infiniti and the Mercedes.
Later that same day, MPD notified U.S. Capitol Police that the carjacked Infiniti was driving recklessly through heavy traffic near Capitol grounds. U.S. Capitol Police spotted and pursued the Infiniti before it crashed into another vehicle. Edmondson then fled from the Infiniti toward the recreation fields northeast of RFK stadium where he was detained. 24cr486
This case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand for the District of Columbia.
Surveillance photo taken at the gas station during the carjacking of the Infiniti.
Surveillance photo of Terrell Edmondson as he exits the back seat of a blue Mercedes at the gas station where the carjacking took place.
The wreckage of the carjacking Infiniti in a photo taken later the on the day of the carjacking.
24cr486
District Man Pleads Guilty to Strangling Romantic PartnerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 31-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to strangling his 26-year-old romantic partner and mother of his child, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of strangulation. According to the government’s evidence, on Thanksgiving Day (November 28, 2025), the defendant assaulted his romantic partner by placing her in a chokehold while she was holding their 1-year-old child. The assault caused the victim to urinate on herself and lose consciousness. The defendant was arrested the same day and has been in custody ever since. A Superior Court judge released the defendant today over the government’s objection pending sentencing, which is set for February 20, 2026.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith 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 Olivia B. Hinerfeld and Michael Weinberg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Bi-Coastal Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to 135 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Albert Anthony Rios, 32, of the District of Columbia and California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 135 months in federal prison for trafficking large amounts of fentanyl that he had shipped to him from California, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Rios, who was responsible for 8.5 kilograms of fentanyl and more than a kilogram of cocaine, pleaded guilty on September 3 before Judge Dabney L. Friedrich to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and cocaine. In addition to the 135-month prison term, Judge Friedrich ordered Rios to serve five years of supervised release.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.
According to court documents, on Dec. 13, 2022, two packages were shipped from a FedEx facility located in Monterrey Park, California and addressed to “Martes Benito,” on Congress Street, SE. FedEx deemed the packages as suspicious. The DEA recovered about 700 grams of fentanyl pills and 200 grams of cocaine from one of the packages. On Dec. 17, 2022, the second package was intercepted. Law enforcement obtained a state court warrant for the package, which was found to contain a kilogram of fentanyl pills.
Through subpoenas to airlines, recovery of surveillance footage, and other evidence, agents identified two persons who regularly flew to Los Angeles and then returned within a few days to the Washington D.C. area. The same individuals routinely shipped packages from FedEx and UPS facilities in Monterrey Park, California to the Washington, D.C. area. Agents recovered several of these packages and all were found to contain fentanyl pills. Agents recovered additional narcotics, firearms, and large amounts cash in search warrants conducted at the residences of these individuals.
FBI agents continued to investigate to determine the identity of the California supplier. They learned that, in July of 2023, in a separate and independent investigation, DEA agents arranged to purchase a large amount of fentanyl and cocaine from Albert Rios.
In a search of Rios’ residence, those agents recovered a kilo of cocaine, a kilo of fentanyl, 15,000 fentanyl pills, and about $23,000 in cash.
FBI agents linked Rios’ phone number to the individuals who had repeatedly mailed narcotics to the D.C. area. On Feb. 7, 2024, agents executed another search warrant at Rios’ California residence. They recovered additional narcotics, including approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills and an ounce of cocaine. Further, in a search of his cell phones, FBI agents found photos of large quantities of fentanyl pills and determined that Rios’ relevant conduct in this case included, at a minimum, 8.425 kilograms of fentanyl and 1.028 kilograms of cocaine.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the FBI Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Virginia State Police, Montgomery County Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty.
25cr064
Former Voice of America Employee Pleads Guilty to Making Threats Against Rep. Marjorie Taylor GreeneRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Seth Jason, 64, of Edgewater, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to making anonymous, telephonic threats against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene between October 2023 and January 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and United States Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan.
Jason pleaded guilty to one count of Interstate Communications with a Threat to Kidnap or Injure and one count of Anonymous Telecommunications Harassment.
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan set a sentencing date for June 18, 2026.
“Seth Jason repeatedly threatened to assault and kill Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and did so from inside Voice of America where he was employed. No one should have to live their life in fear wondering if those threats are about to be fulfilled,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message—my office will not take these threats lightly—think twice because we will find you and we will convict you.”
According to court documents, Jason made eight calls between Oct. 11, 2023, and Jan. 21, 2025, to the congressional offices of a member of the House of Representatives. In those calls, Jason repeatedly threatened the Representative, the Representative’s family, and the Representative’s staff.
The threats escalated over time, culminating with two threats coinciding with the Presidential Inauguration. Specifically, on Jan. 8, 2025, just 12 days before the Inauguration, Jason left a voicemail with the Representative’s office stating that the Representative would not “see the inaugural,” and that the Representative, the Representative’s staff, and the Representative’s family would be dead. Then, on Jan. 21, 2025, Jason left another threatening voicemail with the Representative’s congressional office, stating the Representative and the Representative’s staff “were as good as dead,” and to “make your last will ready, because we are coming after you, and the only thing you’re going to hear is bang…I’m yearning to hear you cry for your last breath.”
The investigation revealed that Jason, a former Voice of America employee, placed each of the eight calls while he was working inside of the VOA headquarters, which is in the District of Columbia.
Jason faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison on the charge of Interstate Communications with a Threat to Kidnap or Injure and two years in prison on the charge of Anonymous Telecommunications Harassment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the United States Capitol Police and Department of State Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan Horan and Travis Wolf.
###
25cr191
Father and Son Tax Preparers Indicted on 24 Counts in Defrauding the IRSRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Vincent Larry Phillips, Sr., 60, and Vincent Michael Phillips, Jr., 36, a father and son who operated a tax return preparation business in the District of Columbia, were charged in an 24-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in connection with an alleged yearslong scheme that defrauded the Internal Revenue Service, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The indictment charges one count of conspiracy, 14 counts of aiding in the preparation of false returns, four counts of false statements, and four counts of aggravated identity theft.
Phillips Sr. surrendered today to federal authorities. Phillips Jr. was arrested this morning in the District.
Since 1995, Vincent Larry Phillips Sr. has owned and operated Tax Express LLC on the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Phillips Jr. occasionally worked for his father’s business, which was alternatively named Nubian Tax Service, Nubian Tax Express, Nubian Tax Express 1, Express Tax, and Express Tax.
“Phillips Sr. has done this before, he pleaded guilty to a similar offense in 2010,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Rest assured after this he will not do it again. My office and President Trump are intent on cutting fraud, waste, and abuse and will prosecute those offenses wherever we find it.”
According to the indictment, father and son each prepared false and fraudulent tax returns that in various ways either improperly inflated the client’s claimed refund or resulted in the client claiming a refund when they should have owed taxes. The Phillips allegedly often did this without the knowledge of their clients and allegedly would skim part of the refund for their personal use.
In March 2022, IRS Special Agents conducted an undercover operation at Tax Express. Father and son allegedly prepared separate false returns for the undercover agents. Each preparer allegedly claimed expenses for a fictional “geothermal heat pump” that reduced the tax burden. The agents had not reported the purchase of a heat pump. A correctly prepared return would have showed that the undercover agents were either getting a small refund or owed a small tax. Instead, the documents that the Phillips submitted to the IRS claimed a more substantial refund. The Phillips did not tell the undercover agents that they had added heat pump expenses to their tax returns.
Among other allegations included in the indictment, the elder Phillips allegedly used the identity of a female associate to disguise the fact that the returns were prepared and electronically filed by a business he operated. The IRS had previously expelled Phillips from the IRS’s e-file program and revoked his business’s EFINs as a consequence of his criminal conviction in 2010 for tax crimes.
This case is being investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the Department of Justice Criminal Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Ranney and Criminal Division Trial Attorney Emerson Gordon-Marvin.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Subcontractor Supporting U.S. Army in Afghanistan Agrees to Forfeit Nearly $3.5 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia announced today that it reached a civil settlement agreement with FedSys, Inc. to resolve the Government’s lawsuit alleging the subcontractor committed fraud in its recruitment and training of linguists to translate languages native to Afghanistan. Pursuant to the settlement, FedSys agreed to forfeit $3,469,882.50 to the United States.
In September 2007, Mission Essential Personnel, LLC was awarded a prime contract by the United States Army for translation and linguistic services to support military operations in Afghanistan. In December 2008, Mission Essential subcontracted with FedSys to recruit and train linguists in support of the prime contract. On Aug. 23, 2024, the United States filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia claiming that actions of FedSys, its chief executive officer, and its director of recruiting under the FedSys subcontract violated the False Claims Act (United States v. FedSys, Inc., et al., Civ. A. No. 24-2450).
Specifically, the Government alleged that FedSys personnel created fictitious linguist candidates that did not meet the minimum language proficiency standards in Dari, Pashto, or English, and then engaged a third party to impersonate the candidate during the initial translation proficiency testing. The alleged goal of the scheme was to create candidates who would pass the initial proficiency test so that FedSys managers and recruiters could collect recruitment fees and bonuses through the subcontract. In all, fourteen FedSys recruiters, forty-three candidates, and two FedSys managing officials were identified as part of the fraudulent scheme. Five individuals later pled guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.
“Properly trained linguists in a combat zone are vital to military operations, significantly reducing risks and safeguarding the lives of our Soldiers,” said Special Agent in Charge Keith Kelly, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Fraud Field Office. “This settlement underscores the importance of businesses contracted by the U.S. Army honoring their commitments; no amount of money can ever justify putting a Soldier's life at risk.”
“The professionals of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, along with our partner agencies, are dedicated to maintaining the integrity of U.S. defense procurement processes,” said Stanley A. Newell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Transnational Operations Field Office for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. “Those who enrich themselves through fraud and deception at the expense of American taxpayers will be vigorously investigated and brought to justice.”
The Government’s lawsuit further alleged that internal warnings of improper recruiting activity were effectively ignored by FedSys senior management until Mission Essential raised questions about the number of candidates who failed subsequent proficiency testing even though those candidates were presented as having passed the initial proficiency testing.
The subcontract between Mission Essential and FedSys was terminated during the summer of 2012 and funds being processed by Mission Essential under the subcontract to pay FedSys were withheld. Pursuant to the settlement, those funds held by Mission Essential are forfeited by FedSys and will be paid to the United States.
The civil settlement was completed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Tepe, based on the efforts of former AUSA Darrell Valdez and Auditor Timothy C. Hurley. The United States Attorney further wishes to commend the special agents of Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Army Criminal Investigation Division for their important assistance.
The claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Materials Results in 100-Month Prison Term for Southeast District ManRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stevenson Allen, 21, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 100 months in federal prison for distributing, soliciting, and receiving numerous images of young children being sexually abused, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Allen pleaded guilty on Sept. 17, 2025, to one count of distribution of child pornography. In addition to the 100-month prison term, Judge Trevor N. McFadden also ordered Allen to serve 10 years of supervised release and to pay restitution of $31,500 to the victims.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Allen, aka “prettyboi,” came to the attention of the FBI on July 17, 2024, after he messaged another user on a messaging platform, who stated he was the father of a young child. Allen encouraged the other user to abuse their minor child.
Between July 17, 2024, and Aug. 5, 2024, Allen repeatedly asked the other user to provide images of the purported daughter being sexually abused. Allen also sent the other user multiple images depicting the rape of infants and toddlers.
On Sept. 12, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Allen’s residence in Southeast Washington D.C. During the search, officers recovered Allen’s iPhone. On the iPhone were 17 chat strings with different users that revealed that Allen exchanged more than 300 explicit images, including child sexual abuse materials, and depictions of child erotica, adult pornography, and bestiality between December 2023 and August 2024.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca G. Ross prosecuted this case for the District of Columbia.
The case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
25cr057
Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting at Romantic PartnerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Manley, 24, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to shooting his girlfriend in April, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Manley pleaded guilty on December 16, to one count each of assault with intent to kill while armed, unlawful discharge of a firearm and destruction of property. The guilty plea is contingent upon the Court’s approval at sentencing and calls for a range of 90-120 months in prison. Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe accepted the factual basis for the plea and scheduled sentencing for February 27, 2026.
According to the government’s evidence, Manley and the 32-year-old victim were in a romantic relationship for several months. On April 22, 2025, the victim was sitting in her car in front of her residence when the defendant approached her vehicle and shot at her through the driver’s side window. This was not the only time that Manley was violent towards her. On other occasions, he destroyed her property, shot at her apartment building, and repeatedly returned to her residence in violation of a court-issued stay away.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariel Lieberman and Olivia Hinerfeld.
Bomber Who Targeted Banks, Store, and a Supermarket Sentenced to Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Cahlyl Rollins, 25, of the District of Columbia. was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in prison for his role in a spree of four bombings in which he detonated explosive devices during the early morning hours outside four separate businesses in Maryland and the District causing thousands of dollars in damage, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Rollins and his co-defendant W Garrett Bragg, 36, pleaded guilty on Sept. 25, 2024, to four counts of malicious use of explosive materials. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Rollins to serve three years of supervised release. Bragg was sentenced on May 20, 2025, to 84 months in federal prison.
Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - Washington Division, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, at each of the four locations Rollins was the trigger man. He carried the explosive to the detonation site, lit the device, and then planted it. Bragg and Rollins appeared to be beta-testing a method for robbing ATMs and other stores. Surveillance video, license-plate readers, and cell site location data reflect that Bragg and Rollins traveled between the four locations in a metallic Acura sedan with Maryland license plates.
On July 2, 2023, Bragg and Rollins targeted an ATM at 3:53 a.m. at the Bank of America on the 5400 block of Silver Hill Road in District Heights, Maryland. The blast destroyed the vestibule and the structure surrounding the teller machine. About a half-hour later, the men struck again, and detonated an explosive device at the Truist Bank branch on the 2300 block of Washington Place NE. The blast destroyed the vestibule, the structure around multiple teller machines, and caused a total of $35,933 in damages.
The spree of bombings continued six minutes later when they exploded another device at the Nike Store on the 700 block of H Street, NE. The bomb destroyed the Nike Store’s front vestibule and caused more than $10,300 in damage. At 4:44 a.m., the conspirators set off a device at the Safeway supermarket on the 300 block of N. 40th St. NE, as employees inside the store cleaned and prepared for the store to open. The blast destroyed parts of the entry way and caused $9,900 in damage.
The Acura sedan used in the bombing bore Maryland license plate 17971CK. That license plate was provided by the state of Maryland to a private company that is authorized to sell titling papers and license plates but has never been registered to a vehicle. Despite concerted law enforcement efforts to locate the vehicle, it has not been seen since the morning of July 2, 2023. Since the offense, this license plate has been placed on other cars, including a gray Dodge Durango that was used to rob an ATM from a 7-Eleven in Crofton, Maryland.
On Sept. 29, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence on the 1600 block of U Street, SE. Officers recovered a firearm on the porch, an extended magazine in the home, a bag of key fobs, a device that can be used to copy fobs to steal vehicles, and a backpack of burglary tools including headlamps, handheld radios, and hand tools.
Officers found a vehicle outside registered to Rollins. The vehicle was fitted with a device that could extend a cover over the license plate to obscure it with the touch of a button. While Rollins waited outside during the search warrant, an officer offered to provide him with shoes. Rollins indicated that he had a bunch of shoes in the living room. Among the shoes in the living room was a pair of black Crocs consistent with those Rollins had been videotaped wearing during the bombings.
Officers searched a storage unit which Rollins had accessed before and after the bombings. Inside the unit, officers recovered 38 license plates, thousands of rounds of assorted ammunition (weighing more than 200 pounds), and additional burglary tools. Of the 38 license plates, many had been involved in other crimes in the area.
Robbins was arrested Oct. 30, 2023, in Washington D.C. U.S. Marshals arrested Bragg on Jan. 1, 2024, in Washington D.C.
This case was investigated by the ATF, the FBI, and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Tepfer and Alexander Schneider for the District of Columbia.
On July 2, 2023, Bragg and Rollins targeted an ATM at 3:53 a.m. at the Bank of America in District Heights. The blast destroyed the vestibule and the structure around the teller machine.
At the Truist Bank branch on the 2300 block of Washington Place NE, the blast destroyed the vestibule, the structure around multiple teller machines, and caused a total $35,933 in damages.
23cr359
U.S. Unseals Warrant for Tanker Seized by Coast Guard Off the Coast of VenezuelaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia today obtained an order unsealing its seizure warrant for the M/T Skipper (IMO #9304667), announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and FBI Director Kash Patel.
The seizure warrant was signed by a magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on November 26, 2025. On December 10, the U.S. Coast Guard boarded and seized the crude oil tanker as it traveled on the high seas after departing Venezuela.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) previously identified the M/T Skipper, which was formerly called the Adisa, as being used in an oil shipping network supporting Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), both U.S. Department of State-designated foreign terrorist organizations. The IRGC uses proceeds from the distribution of petroleum to fund its terrorist networks.
“As the premiere United States Attorney’s office leading efforts to intercept ghost vessels as well as sanctioned products, we remain committed to legally supporting President Trump’s efforts to make the world a safer place,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in DC has demonstrated exceptional perseverance, and a unique ability to navigate the challenges inherent in this type of enforcement action unmatched anywhere in the country.”
“The FBI's Counterintelligence Division and our partners will continue to enforce U.S. sanctions and cut off our adversaries from financial markets and critical technology,” said FBI Director Patel. “The seizure of this vessel highlights our successful efforts to impose costs on the governments of Venezuela and Iran. Sanctions enforcement requires a whole-of-government approach and the FBI is proud to be part of the team.”
The seizure warrant was authorized pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §§ 981, 982, 2332b(g)(5), and 2339B(a)(1), which authorizes the seizure of “[a]ll assets, foreign or domestic ... of any individual, entity, or organization engaged in planning or perpetrating any Federal crime of terrorism (as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2332b(g)(5)) against the United States, citizens or residents of the United States, or their property, and all assets, foreign or domestic, affording any person a source of influence over any such entity or organization.”
The seizure of the M/T Skipper was effectuated by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation following the boarding by the U.S. Coast Guard.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia along with the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Criminal Division.
25sz50
##
District Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Murder of Woman Found in Mall DumpsterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Richard Dyson, 58, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 24 years in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Donnella Bryan, 62, whose body was found in a Hechinger Mall dumpster in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Dyson pleaded guilty in Superior Court in October 2025 to one count of second-degree murder.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 15, 2025, at the Press House Apartments in Northeast, Dyson murdered Bryan by striking her in the head and suffocating her with a sock. Dyson then purchased a large container from Home Depot, and with the help of an accomplice, disposed of Bryan’s body into a dumpster. Bryan’s body was discovered on April 19, 2025, one day before Easter Sunday. Law enforcement arrested Dyson on June 11, 2025. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Cocuzza, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
D.C. High School Teacher Arrested, Charged in Production of Child Pornography, Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John Aaron Gass, 35, a high school history teacher at the District of Columbia International School, was charged by complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court with production of child pornography and with enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
FBI agents arrested Gass yesterday at his home in Maryland.
According to the charging documents, Gass allegedly sexually abused a minor child beginning in the Spring of 2025. He allegedly recorded that abuse. On multiple occasions Gass climbed through the child’s bedroom window at night to sexually abuse her.
On Nov. 21, 2025, the FBI received information from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) alleging that Gass met with a minor child on multiple occasions to sexually abuse her and, on at least two occasions, used the victim’s phone to record explicit videos of himself and the child.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen for the District of Columbia.
Anyone with further information may contact 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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.
25mj279
‘21st & Vietnam’ Defendant Sentenced to 16 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking and Assault While ArmedRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Trevon Palmer, 30, a key member of the violent D.C. drug trafficking crew known as “21st and Vietnam,” was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 192 months in prison for his role in running an open-air drug market in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Palmer pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and to aggravated assault while armed. In addition to the 192-month prison term, Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Palmer to serve five years of supervised release.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, the 21st & Vietnam crew centered their open-air drug market near the interesection of 21st Street and Maryland Avenue, NE, and used an apartment building on the 1900 block of I Street as their base of operations. The crew distributed significant quantities of narcotics, including crack cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, phencyclidine (PCP), and n-n-dimethylpentylone (boot).
Palmer was one of the most prolific sellers of narcotics. Between late November 2023 and March 2024, Palmer made 12 sales – totalling about 300 grams of fentanyl – to undercover agents. Palmer also sold crack cocaine and methamphetamine.
On April 19, 2024, Palmer and co-defendant Briyon Shuford sought to target members of a rival crew. As they drove in a stolen car midday along the 1200 block of Mt. Olivet Road, NE, they shot and injured four people near a convenience store. Shuford was sentenced to 161 months for drug conspiracy and the drive-by shooting.
This investigation was a multi-agency effort between the Violent Crime Investigations Team of the Violent Crime Suppression Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross-Border Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, the District of Columbia National Guard Counter Drug Program, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Duvall and Solomon Eppel of the Violent Crime Reduction and Narcotics Trafficking Section.
24cr226
Four-Time Convict Sentenced to 108 Months for Possession of a Glock with a Laser Sight While on Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jaswan Dayquon Thomas, 28, a four-time convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to a total of 108 months in prison for illegally possessing a Glock 19 9mm handgun outfitted with a laser attachment while he was still on supervised release for two prior firearms convictions, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Thomas pleaded guilty May 27 before Judge Trevor N. McFadden to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 108-month prison term, Judge McFadden ordered Thomas to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Sept. 9, 2024, Thomas had two outstanding warrants. Deputy United States Marshals (DUSMs) were canvassing near the 1300 block of Morris Road Southeast. The deputy marshals spotted a black 2005 Mercedes Benz C230 sedan known to be the same year, make, model, and color of the vehicle Thomas had operated during a traffic stop six months earlier.
Thomas exited a nearby building, approached the Mercedes, and got into the driver’s seat. The deputy marshals approached. Thomas obeyed their commands to exit the vehicle with his hands up. The DUSMs placed Thomas under arrest and searched him. From Thomas’s front right jacket pocket, they recovered a clear plastic baggie with suspected marijuana.
A DUSM looked into the open driver’s side door of the Mercedes and immediately saw a Glock 19 9mm handgun outfitted with a laser attachment in the open glove box. The gun, which was loaded with one round in the chamber, was equipped with an extended magazine that contained 38 rounds of ammunition.
Thomas has four prior convictions in the District of Columbia. On March 28, 2015, Thomas pleaded guilty to theft – first degree in D.C. Superior Court, and was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended. On Jan. 12, 2018, Thomas pleaded guilty to attempted robbery in Superior Court and was sentenced to 10 months in jail. On Jan. 18, 2018, Mr. Thomas pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction) in Superior Court and was sentenced to 18 months. On Feb. 21, 2020, Thomas pleaded guilty in District Court to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and was sentenced to 57 months of imprisonment followed by 36 months of supervised release. Thomas was on supervised release for two of those convictions when he was arrested in the Mercedes in 2024.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan.
24cr435
19cr367Former Community Support Worker Pleads Guilty to Defrauding District of Columbia Medicaid ProgramRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jariatu Jalloh, 39, of Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of first-degree fraud and two counts of first-degree theft related to fraudulent billing submitted to the District’s Medicaid program. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, Jalloh was employed as a community support worker (CSW) by a District Mental Health Rehabilitation Service (MHRS). MHRS provides for diagnostic and assessment services, counseling, medication, intensive day treatment, and crisis or emergency services. A CSW provides community support services by helping consumers learn and improve basic life skills, such as managing their medication, increasing social skills, and learning how to apply for housing or a job. CSWs are responsible for helping eligible patients improve life skills, such as medication management and social skills.
Jalloh admitted that between August 2021 and continuing through July 2023, while employed by the District MHRS provider, she engaged in a scheme to defraud the District’s Medicaid program by submitting encounter notes for community support services she did not provide and overbilling for services she allegedly provided to District Medicaid beneficiaries.
Evidence shows that several of the Medicaid recipients who were assigned to Jalloh reported that they never received services from Jalloh, while others said their contact lasted only a few minutes. Despite this, Jalloh repeatedly submitted documentation claiming she rendered an hour or more of services – even in cases where she had no interaction with the Medicaid recipients. Through this scheme, Jalloh caused the District government and its Medicaid program to pay over $234,500 for fraudulent CSW claims.
The Honorable Carmen McLean accepted the plea, and scheduled sentencing for March 13, 2026.
This case was investigated by the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Emmanuela Charles, on detail from the D.C. Office of the Inspector General.
25CF2007145
Felon Sentenced in Possession of Firearm That Had Been Outfitted with a Machine Gun ‘Giggle Switch’Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sherwood Russell, 35, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 27 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm outfitted with a machine gun conversion device during which he struck a police officer with his vehicle, assaulted a woman, resisted arrest, and threatened an additional police officer, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Russell pleaded guilty on Sept. 4, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the prison term, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Russell to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, on May 4, 2025, about 6:46 p.m., MPD officers responded to a call for a domestic disturbance on the 2000 block of 11th St. NW. Officers observed Russell grabbing a woman by her arms. Russell then entered his vehicle, a white Tesla with New Jersey tags.
An officer instructed Russell to exit the vehicle. Instead, Russell turned the wheel, accelerated the vehicle, and struck the officer in the leg. After crashing into a fence, Russell exited the vehicle and attempted to flee. Officers tackled Russell and placed him under arrest.
Officers looked into Russell’s vehicle and noticed a spilled open container of alcohol in the front seat. While conducting a probable cause search of the vehicle for more open containers of alcohol, officers recovered a Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol, loaded with 26 rounds of ammunition. The Glock was modified with a “giggle switch” that converted the semi-automatic into a fully automatic machine gun.
Russell previously was convicted in 2011 of burglary one while armed with gun, assault with a dangerous weapon (AWD), and related counts and sentenced to 10 years in prison on the burglary conviction and 30 months for the AWD.
This case was investigated by the ATF and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Liss.
25cr210
D.C. Campaign Finance Consultant Sentenced to Prison in $1.5 Million Fraud of Covid-Era Loan ProgramRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jennifer May, 43, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to more than 12 months in federal prison for her role in a scheme that defrauded $1,500,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the U.S. Government, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
May pleaded guilty on Aug. 27, 2025, to an Information charging her with one count of wire fraud. In addition to the more than 12-month term of incarceration, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered May to serve three years of supervised release. Under the terms of her plea agreement, May also must return the $1,500,000 to the United States.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division
According to court documents, May was founder and owner of Next Level Partners LLC, a consulting firm specializing in assisting campaigns with complying with campaign finance regulations and managing their accounts payable functions.
In October 2021, May applied for a second modification to an original EIDL application, requesting an additional $1,500,000 in EIDL funds for Next Level Partners.
The EIDL was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in which the U.S. Small Business Administration offered small business owners low-interest, long-term loans. The funds were intended to be used for working capital to make regular payments for operating expenses, including payroll, rent/mortgage, utilities, and other ordinary business expenses, and to pay business debt.
May falsely certified on loan applications that she would use all loan proceeds only for business-related purposes. Yet the very same day that the SBA disbursed the funds to NLP’s account, May began diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars into her personal accounts and, from there, to cryptocurrency exchanges where she speculated on a thinly traded crypto-asset called “Tomb.”
Upon sustaining hundreds of thousands of dollars of losses from her speculation, May took what remained of the EIDL funds and went on to purchase real estate in Middleburg, Virginia and to buy a restaurant-bar-childcare space in Northeast Washington known as The Lane at Ivy City. The purchases were completely unrelated to NLP’s business operations.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS-Criminal Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Hart of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.
25cr211
Indiana Couple Charged in an Indictment Filed in D.C. with Securities Fraud for Insider TradingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Fan Yang, 39, and Jing Tian, 37, both of Indianapolis, were arrested and charged in an indictment unsealed today for conspiring to commit securities fraud for allegedly using insider information to profit from a $3.7 billion corporate acquisition, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Yang, aka “Jocelyn Yang,” and Tian are charged in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. with two counts of conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Yang was a finance executive at an Indiana manufacturing company for which her husband, Tian, also worked.
According to the charging document, in 2021, their company began to hold internal discussions about acquiring a Michigan-based firm that made automobile components. On Feb. 22, 2022, their company announced an agreement to acquire the targeted firm at a price of $36.50 per share, for a total value of $3.7 billion. The targeted firm’s stock price rose to $35.55 before markets opened, an increase of about 44% from the prior day’s closing price.
The indictment alleges that Yang began to collect material non-public information (MNPI) about the impending deal in October 2021 and with Tian began discussing and executing security purchases of the target company in November 2021. Communicating in Chinese on messaging apps, they allegedly shared MNPI with a group that grew to include at least five other people, including two graduate students at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and a trader who was in China at the time.
Members of the group used this inside information to purchase stock and options contracts in the target company based on information they knew was non-public and confidential. On November 22, 2021, Yang allegedly sent a WeChat message to her husband Tian discussing their securities purchases, stating, “We have over 100,000 in there. If the acquisition is completed with 3.5b, we can get a Tesla. Trade in and don’t need a loan haha.”
In a series of additional messages, Yang told another trader that she knew the target company stock would rise because her company was acquiring it, information that was not publicly known at the time.
When the news of the corporate acquisition was made public, the group generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit.
This case is being investigated by the Washington Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, Co-Chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rami Sibay.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
25crxxx
Crack Dealer with a Semi-Automatic Pistol Sentenced to 45 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Cevin Andre Belton, 40, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 45 months in prison for trafficking crack cocaine and for illegally possessing a semi-automatic pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Belton pleaded guilty on September 5 before Judge Trevor N. McFadden to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 45-month prison term, Judge McFadden ordered Belton to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, MPD officers were on patrol about 1:25 p.m. on March 22 when they spotted Belton standing in an alleyway behind the 4000 block of 9th Street. Belton saw the officers patrol car and began walking towards an entrance to a nearby building. Officers exited their vehicle to conduct a foot patrol. Belton looked over his shoulder, saw the officers, and ran at a full sprint away while holding his front waistband.
As officers chased Belton on foot, Belton reached into the front of his waistband, produced a black firearm, and threw it onto a patch of grass. Officers caught Belton near the intersection of 9th and Bellevue Streets, Southeast. Investigators canvassed Belton’s flight path along the 4200 block of 9th Street, SE, and recovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
During a search of Belton, officers recovered 15.5 grams of crack cocaine and $157 in cash. Belton later admitted that he had intended to distribute the crack cocaine.
Belton has a previous conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon out of Prince George’s County for which he served eight years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.
Photo: Along the 4200 block of 9th Street, SE, police recovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic pistol
Photo: During a search of Belton, officers recovered 15.5 grams of crack cocaine and $157 in cash. Belton later admitted that he had intended to distribute the coke.
25cr0168
Guilty Plea and Superseding Indictment Announced in Social Engineering Scheme that Stole $263 Million in CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Evan Tangeman, 22, of Newport Beach, California, pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a multi-state conspiracy that used social engineering to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from victims throughout the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Tangeman is the ninth defendant to enter a guilty plea in this investigation. Tangeman pleaded to participating in a RICO conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and admitted that he helped to launder at least $3.5 million for members of the enterprise.
Judge Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for April 24, 2026.
The Court also unsealed the Second Superseding Indictment, which charges three additional defendants with their roles in the Social Engineering Enterprise (SE Enterprise). Nicholas Dellecave, also known as “Nic,” and “Souja,” Mustafa Ibrahim, also known as “Krust,” and Danish Zulfiqar, also known as “Danny,” and “Meech,” were all charged with RICO conspiracy along with the remaining defendants. Dellecave was arrested in Miami on Dec.3, 2025. Zulfiqar and Ibrahim recently were arrested in Dubai on related charges.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the enterprise began no later than October 2023 and continued through at least May 2025. It grew from friendships developed on online gaming platforms and was comprised of individuals based in California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, and abroad.
Tangeman was a money launderer for the group that also included database hackers, organizers, target identifiers, callers, and residential burglars targeting hardware virtual currency wallets.
According to court documents, members of the enterprise used stolen databases to target victims for cryptocurrency thefts. They then used the stolen virtual currency to purchase, among other things, nightclub services ranging up to $500,000 per evening, luxury handbags valued in the tens of thousands of dollars that were given away at nightclub parties, luxury watches valued between $100,000 and $500,000, luxury clothing valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, rental homes in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, and Miami, private jet rentals, a team of private security guards, and a fleet of at least 28 exotic cars ranging in value from $100,000 to $3.8 million.
The Second Superseding Indictment alleges that on Aug. 18, 2024, Tangeman’s co-conspirator Malone Lam, Danish Zulfiqar, and others contacted a victim in the District of Columbia and, through communications with that victim, fraudulently obtained over 4,100 Bitcoin – valued then at $263 million, and valued this week at more than $368 million.
Tangeman first met the members of the in late 2023 when Lam and others moved to Los Angeles and needed assistance finding rental homes and paying for them with stolen cryptocurrency. Tangeman used a bulk-cash convertor to exchange stolen cryptocurrency for fiat cash to obtain rental homes, some renting for between $40,000 - $80,000 per month. Tangeman also caused false names to be listed on the leases to conceal the ownership of the homes. Tangeman rented homes for the group in Miami as well. During one exchange in August 2024, after the theft from the DC victim, Tangeman helped Lam obtain approximately $3 million in fiat cash in exchange for stolen cryptocurrency for a rental home.
Following Lam’s Miami arrest on Sept. 18, 2024, Tangeman accessed the home security systems to take screenshots of FBI agents searching the residences. Tangeman also asked another enterprise member to travel to Lam’s Los Angeles home, retrieve digital devices, and destroy them.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office. Significant investigative and operational support was provided by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Miami field offices as well as the United States Attorney’s Officers in the Central District of California, Southern District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, Co-Chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
24cr417
U.S. Attorney’s Office Concludes Investigation into Fatal ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against a Deputy United States Marshal for a fatal shooting that occurred on June 12, 2025, and fatally injured a 42-year-old District resident at the intersection of 7th and L Streets, NW.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Internal Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian accounts, crime-camera footage, Body Worn Camera footage, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, and reports from MPD.
According to the evidence, on June 12, 2025, a Deputy United States Marshal encountered Marco Mosley. Mr. Mosley was operating a black Tahoe and the deputy was operating a pickup truck. After Mr. Mosley pulled his vehicle to the side of the road, he and the deputy conversed briefly. At that point, Mr. Mosley retrieved a handgun from his waist area and began to point it at the deputy. The deputy immediately retrieved his service weapon and fired shots at Mr. Mosley. Mr. Mosley was struck in the head. Despite lifesaving efforts by law enforcement and an emergency medical team, Mr. Mosley succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.
After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully violated the civilian’s rights.
Investigations generally
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.
Man Charged for Planting Explosive Devices outside the RNC and DNC on January 5, 2021Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Brian J. Cole, Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested this morning and charged for transporting and planting two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on January 5, 2021, at the headquarters of both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Cole is charged in a complaint unsealed today with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce with the intent to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property. He is also charged with attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials.
Joining in the announcement were U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
“The well-being of our society rests on our ability as law enforcement to safeguard our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “When bad actors intervene to disrupt and threat that peace – to destroy the very fabric of our country – we must, we do, and we will track them down and hold them to account for their crimes to the full extent of the law. FBI and members of my office worked around the clock to methodically piece together the clues that ultimately identified the defendant.”
“Today’s arrest was the result of good, diligent police work and collaboration on a case that languished for four years under the prior administration,” said Attorney General Bondi. “The American people are safer thanks to this morning’s successful operation.”
“The investigation into the pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. has been a high priority since Deputy Director Bongino and I assumed our roles nine months ago. Since that time, our FBI teams have gone back over every fact and every data point looking for new leads – and today’s arrest is the result of that outstanding work,” said FBI Director Patel. “Although almost five years have passed, this shows the FBI will never rest in bringing justice to those who endanger American lives and our communities. I would like to thank our Washington Field Office, FBI personnel across the country, and our partners for their hard work and dedication which led to this arrest.”
“This historic arrest shows this FBI delivers on its promises to protect the American people,” said FBI Deputy Director Bongino. “The pipe bombs could have caused devastating loss of life and injuries, as well as property damage. I want to thank the FBI employees who worked on this over the years, our law enforcement partners who assisted in the investigation, and the American people for the tips they shared with us.”
"Today's actions underscore the long memory and reach of the FBI," said FBI’s Cox, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office. "The FBI and our partners do not forget. We do not give up. We do not relent. For nearly five years, the investigative team combed through a massive amount of data and leads to identify the suspect arrested today."
According to the complaint, during 2019 and 2020, Cole purchased multiple components consistent with those used to manufacture the two IEDs at several retailers in northern Virginia.
At approximately 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, multiple law enforcement agencies received reports of a suspected IEDs near the headquarters of the RNC in Washington, D.C. About 1:15 p.m. the same day, a second suspected IED was reported just a few blocks away near the headquarters of the DNC.
The Hazardous Devices Section of the United States Capitol Police (USCP) neutralized both devices. Subsequently, the FBI assessed that the two devices contained a main explosive charge, a fuzing system, and a container.
Video surveillance determined that the same individual placed the devices on the evening of January 5, 2021. The suspect had been wearing dark pants, a grey hooded sweatshirt, dark gloves, Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes, and a facemask that obscured the person’s face. The video showed the individual adjusting eyeglasses and carrying a backpack.
On January 5, 2021, about 7:10 p.m., Cole’s Nissan Sentra was observed driving past a License Plate Reader at the South Capitol Street exit from I-395 South, which is less than one-half mile from the location where the individual who placed the devices was first observed on foot near North Carolina and New Jersey Avenues, Southeast.
Cell phone records further show that Cole’s cell phone communicated with cell towers in the area of the RNC and DNC on January 5, 2021, between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. The FBI’s Cellular Analysis and Survey Team determined that the location of Cole’s cell phone during this period corresponded with the path of the suspect identified by the FBI through analysis of video from that day.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
cole_jr._-_criminal_complaint_redacted_xxx_redacted.pdf‘King’ of Violent Haitian Gang Sentenced to Life in Prison for Hostage Taking of 16 American Christian MissionariesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Joly Germine, 34, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to life in prison without the possibility of supervised release for his role in orchestrating the 2021 hostage taking of 16 American citizens, including five children, and holding most of them hostage for 62 days, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. The victims were part of a missionary organization, Christian Aid Ministries, and were on their way back from working at an orphanage when they were taken hostage in October 2021.
Germine, aka “Yonyon,” was found guilty by a federal jury on May 16, following a 10-day trial in the District of Columbia, of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and 16 counts of hostage taking of a U.S. national for ransom. In addition to life in prison, Judge John D. Bates ordered Germine to pay a fine of $1,700.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the Miami Field Office.
“The missionary group included 12 adults and five young children, including a 6-year-old, 3-year-old, and an 8-month-old. Sixteen of the victims were U.S. citizens from Christian Aid Ministries,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “This sentencing makes clear that Germine’s scheme to win freedom for himself by using Christians as pawns backfired.”
The former leader and self-described “king” of the notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo, Germine had previously pleaded guilty to his role in a gun trafficking conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws and the laundering of the gang’s funds derived from ransoms paid for other U.S. hostage victims. For those crimes, he was sentenced in June 2024 to 35 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Germine’s gang, 400 Mawozo, operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Germine directed the gang’s operations from prison using unmonitored cell phones and was constantly in touch with other 400 Mawozo leaders, most of whom were his relatives. Germine controlled the gang’s finances, supplied the gang’s weapons, and otherwise directed operations.
On October 16, 2021, 17 Mennonite missionaries from Christian Aid Ministries, an Ohio-based missionary aid organization, were returning from visiting an orphanage when they were stopped by 400 Mawozo’s armed and masked soldiers. Many of the gang’s soldiers brandished guns supplied by Germine.
The gang drove the missionaries to a field and robbed them, while consulting by phone with Germine, their leader. The gang took the missionaries to a building in a rural area, held them at gunpoint, and demanded ransom of $1 million each for their return.
In postings on social media, the gang threatened to kill all the hostages if the ransom was not paid. Early on in the negotiations, senior gang leadership said that, in lieu of the ransom monies, 400 Mawozo would accept Germine’s release from prison in exchange for the hostages.
On November 20, 2021, two hostages were released when one of them was suffering from life-threatening health conditions. On December 5, 2021, 400 Mawozo released three of the hostages, two adults who had significant medical issues and the six-year old child, after receiving a $350,000 ransom payment. Though the gang had stated they would release all the hostages for the ransom paid, at Germine’s direction, the gang thereafter refused to release any more hostages, hoping instead for his own release from Haitian jail in exchange for the hostages’ release. On December 16, 2021, the remaining hostages escaped under cover of darkness while their captors were distracted, walking for five hours through the Haitian bush until they were out of the gang’s territory. They were received by the FBI, which had deployed to Haiti and arranged to immediately transport them from Haiti before the gang could respond to their escape. In total, most of the missionaries were held for 62 days.
The evidence at trial showed that Germine directed the initial kidnapping, arranged for the locations where hostages were held, and set the $17 million ransom demand, knowing it was too high to be paid and hoping it would result in the Haitian government negotiating his release from prison in exchange for the missionaries. The evidence also showed that Germine was involved in or consulted on the decisions to release victims.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. During the law enforcement response to the kidnapping, extraordinary assistance was provided by various agencies in a whole-of-government response, including the Department of Commerce, Customs and Border Protection Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Defense, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, the government of the Dominican Republic, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department of State and the Embassy in Port-au-Prince, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Thomas N. Saunders with invaluable assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall, Victim Advocate Yvonne Bryant, and Victim Witness Coordinators Tonya Jones and Guisela Castillo.
22cr161
Possession of Narcotics and Machine Gun Net D.C. Man 71-Month Prison TermRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Naseer Green, 19, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 71 months in prison for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute and possession of a fully loaded Glock handgun that had been outfitted with a conversion device to fire as a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Green pleaded guilty on Sept. 4, 2025, to a two-count Superseding Information, charging him with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the 71-month prison sentence, Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered Green to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, on March 16, 2025, at approximately 2 a.m., MPD officers patrolling the in the Logan Circle neighborhood approached a sedan parked near a fire hydrant in a no-parking zone. Four men were inside the vehicle. Officers spotted a handgun between the legs of one of the rear passengers.
After additional units responded to the scene, MPD searched the vehicle’s occupants incident to arrest, and three of the four occupants had firearms, including Green who had a Glock Model 19 9mm tucked into his waistband. Green’s Glock was outfitted with an extended magazine with a 24-round capacity and was fully loaded. Additionally the pistol was modified with a machine gun conversion device, known as a “switch,” which allowed the gun to operate as a fully automatic firearm. Officers also recovered from Green about 24 white tablets in a pill bottle; 134 blue pills in a clear bag; four grams of a white powdery substance in clear bag; and $357 in cash. The pills later tested positive for fentanyl and oxycodone. The gun was determined to have been reported stolen out of Maryland.
Two of Green’s co-defendants – Wesley Hilliard and Sequan Collier – are awaiting trial.
This case was investigated by the MPD and the ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate M. Naseef and Matthew W. Kinskey.
25cr81
Scam Center Strike Force Announces Seizure of Fake Cryptocurrency Investment Domain Used by Tai Chang Scam Compound in BurmaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice, together with major federal law enforcement and interagency partners, announced the seizure by the Scam Center Strike Force, spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, of a web domain used to target and defraud Americans through cryptocurrency investment fraud (CIF) scams, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The domain had been used by scammers located at the Tai Chang scam compound (aka Casino Kosai) located in the village of Kyaukhat, Burma. This domain seizure comes less than three weeks after the announcement of the launch of the Scam Center Strike Force and the seizure of two additional domains also used by the Tai Chang scam compound for CIF scams.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the domain seizure, Tai Chang is affiliated with the Burmese armed group, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Company Limited (Trans Asia), which were designated by the Department of the Treasury, among others, as specially-designated nationals (SDN) on November 12, 2025, for links to Chinese organized crime and development of scam centers in Southeast Asia.
The seizure announced today of the domain tickmilleas.com is part of the Scam Center Strike Force’s efforts to combat Southeast Asia scam centers at the highest level and stop U.S. infrastructure from being used as instrumentalities of the fraud schemes.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Department of Justice, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI San Diego Field Office.
According to the affidavit filed in support of today’s announced seizure, the tickmilleas.com domain was disguised as a legitimate investment platform to trick victims into depositing their funds. Victims who used the domain reported to the FBI that the site showed lucrative returns on what they believed to be their investments and displayed purported deposits made by scammers to the victims’ “accounts” when the scammers walked the victims through supposed trades. Despite the seized domain’s having been registered in early November 2025, the FBI has already identified multiple victims who used the domain in the last month to send cryptocurrency as part of what they believed were legitimate investments and were scammed out of their money.
The Scam Center Strike Force seeks to collaborate with cooperative private sector companies to thwart CIF scam centers. According to the affidavit filed in support of the seizure, the tickmilleas.com domain directed users to download mobile applications—linked to the scam—from Google Play and the Apple App Store. The FBI notified Google and Apple of the fraudulent tickmilleas-associated apps, and several of the apps have been removed voluntarily from these stores.
As part of the Scam Center Strike Force’s efforts at public-private partnership, the Strike Force worked with Meta to identify accounts associated with the Tai Chang compound. Meta voluntarily removed approximately 2000 accounts as part of the collaborative effort.
Following the seizure, a splash page will be placed on the tickmilleas.com website that warns victims who have been directed to use the domain that it has now been seized by law enforcement, thereby disrupting the intended CIF scam activity and money laundering tied to the domain.
Additionally, the Scam Center Strike Force has deployed FBI agents to Bangkok, who are working alongside the Royal Thai Police in their War Room Task Force, to investigate and combat scam compounds, including Tai Chang and other compounds in Burma.
****
The Scam Center Strike Force is targeting many of the worst scam compounds located in Southeast Asia. Chinese transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are using CIF scams and a variety of confidence scams to steal the life savings of everyday Americans. Strike Force teams are focused on identifying and pursuing key leaders—including Chinese organized crime affiliates operating in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos—to bring them to justice.
These CIF schemes, which fraudsters refer to as “pig butchering” because they are “fattening” up their victims before defrauding them, are often run out of scam compounds in Southeast Asia. Using U.S. social media networks or text messages to U.S.-based cell phones, the scammers target their victims, gain their trust, and convince them to invest in real cryptocurrency, only to then trick their victims to transfer those funds into fake cryptocurrency investment websites and applications. Workers in the scam compounds often are victims of human trafficking, held against their will, abused, and guarded by armed groups as they are instructed to target Americans. In some of the Southeast Asian countries where these compounds operate, scam-generated revenue is so massive that it amounts to nearly half of the country’s GDP. Recent reporting estimates that this scam industry defrauds Americans of nearly $9-10 billion per year.
The Scam Center Strike Force is a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; DOJ’s Criminal Division, including the Computer Crimes & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS); Fraud Section; and Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Secret Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island is also collaborating on the initiative.
For the Department of Justice, the Scam Center Strike Force is led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kevin Rosenberg, and Associate Counsel Richard Goldberg of DOJ’s Fraud Section. Today’s seizure was handled by Team Burma, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman and CCIPS Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor, along with the FBI’s San Diego Field Office, which has led the investigation into Tai Chang, with substantial assistance from Paralegal Peter Bleicken of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
If you have been defrauded out of your money by a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme, please contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. If you were directed to use tickmilleas.com as part of a scam, reference “tickmilleas.com” in your complaint.
If you have information to report about past or ongoing activity regarding the Tai Chang scam compound (coordinates 16°28'20.9"N 98°38'45.1"E and 16°28'02.1"N 98°38'54.1"E), please the contact the FBI at [email protected].
signed_warrant_redacted_affidavit.pdfLas Vegas Man Sentenced in D.C. to 144 Months in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Luis Santos Perez, 34, of Las Vegas, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 144 months in prison for posting photographs and videos to a notorious chat room where its members shared and celebrated graphic images of child sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Santos Perez, aka “chillbill,” pleaded guilty before Judge Beryl A. Howell on Feb. 20 2025, to a charge of distribution of child pornography. In addition to the 144-month prison term, Judge Howell ordered Santos Perez to serve 10 years of supervised release and pay $42,000 in restitution to victims.
Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.
In early 2024, an undercover agent from the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online chat room where members post videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
One of the members identified himself as an administrator, posted several clips of pre-pubescent child pornography, and demanded that others do the same or risk being kicked out of the chatroom. That member was later identified as Santos Perez.
“This defendant was both an administrator and participant on a mobile app called KIK where child sexual abuse images were exchanged,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “In his role as administrator, he required younger and younger images, including infants, in order to remain in his group. Twelve years is not enough which is why the judge ordered him to serve an additional 10 years supervised release.”
On May 13, 2024, law enforcement arrested Santos Perez in Las Vegas and seized several digital devices. In an interview with officers, Santos Perez admitted that he had sent and received child pornography on two online groups and that his digital devices contained child pornography.
Law enforcement recovered more than 2,000 images of child sexual abuse materials from his digital devices.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie for the District of Columbia.
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.
24cr216
Justice Department Announces Seizure of Tai Chang Scam Compound Domain Used in Cryptocurrency Investment FraudRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the seizure of a web domain used to target and defraud Americans through cryptocurrency investment fraud (CIF) scams. The domain, tickmilleas.com, was used by those located at the Tai Chang scam compound (also known as Casino Kosai) located in the village of Kyaukhat, Burma. This domain seizure comes less than three weeks after the Justice Department announced the launch of the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office’s (D.C. USAO) “Scam Center Strike Force” – the first District-level CIF strike force – and the seizure of two additional domains that were also used by the Tai Chang scam compound as part of CIF scams.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the domain seizure, Tai Chang is affiliated with the Burmese group, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and the Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Company Limited (Trans Asia), which were designated by the Department of the Treasury, among others, as specially-designated nationals (SDN) on Nov. 12 for links to Chinese organized crime and development of scam centers in Southeast Asia. The seizure announced today is part of the D.C. USAO’s Scam Center Strike Force’s efforts to combat Southeast Asia scam centers at the highest level and prevent U.S. infrastructure from being used as instrumentalities of the fraud schemes.
The seized domain was disguised as a legitimate investment platform to trick victims into unknowingly depositing their funds. Victims who used the domain reported to the FBI that the site showed lucrative returns on what they believed to be their investments and displayed purported deposits made by scammers to the victims’ “accounts” when the scammers walked the victims through falsified trades. Despite the seized domain being registered in early November 2025, the FBI already identified multiple victims who used the domain in the last month and were scammed out of their investments.
A splashpage the tickmilleas.com website warns victims who have been directed to the domain that it has been seized by law enforcement, thereby disrupting the intended CIF scam activity and related money laundering.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the seizure, the tickmilleas.com domain directed users to download mobile applications linked to the scam from Google Play and the Apple App Store. The FBI notified Google and Apple of the fraudulent apps, and several of the applications have been voluntarily removed. Additionally, also announced today, based on information provided by the FBI about Tai Chang scam compound, Meta identified and voluntarily removed more than 2,000 accounts from their network of social media platforms.
In 2024 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 41,000 complaints reporting roughly $5.8 billion in losses from CIF scams. These CIF scams, such as the ones described by victims in the affidavit, typically begin through unsolicited outreach from strangers over dating applications, social media, messaging applications, and text messages. These strangers form close virtual relationships with their victim targets, convince them to make purported investments in or using cryptocurrency, and direct victims on how to purchase cryptocurrency and invest it using fraudulent domains and applications that appear legitimate.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Department of Justice, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI San Diego Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI San Diego Field Office is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
The case is the latest public action taken by the District of Columbia Scam Center Strike Force. The D.C. USAO’s Scam Center Strike Force is a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; DOJ’s Criminal Division, including the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), Fraud Section, and Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Secret Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island is also collaborating on the initiative. Additionally, the D.C. USAO’s Scam Center Strike Force benefits from the work of FBI agents deployed to Bangkok to investigate and combat scam compounds, including Tai Chang and other compounds in Burma.
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.
If you have been defrauded out of your money by a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme, please contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. If you were directed to use tickmilleas.com as part of a scam, reference tickmilleas.com in your complaint.
If you have information to report about past or ongoing activity regarding the Tai Chang scam compound (coordinates 16°28'20.9"N 98°38'45.1"E and 16°28'02.1"N 98°38'54.1"E), please contact the FBI at [email protected].
Afghan National Charged with the Murder of National Guard Soldier Sarah BeckstromRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who resided in Bellingham, Washington, has been charged with first-degree murder while armed for the death of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom, as a result of the ambush-style shooting, which occurred the day before Thanksgiving, November 26, a few blocks from the White House, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Ms. Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries on November 27, 2025. National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe. 24, was critically injured in the ambush and remains hospitalized.
A D.C Superior Court judge today found probable cause that Lakanwal committed the offenses of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and ordered that Lakanwal be held without bond pending a preliminary hearing. Lakanwal, who was injured during the shooting, remains in a local hospital where he is currently being treated and held under guard.
According to court documents, Lakanwal drove from his hometown in the state of Washington to Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, November 26, Lakanwal arrived at about 2:13 p.m., at 17th and I Streets, NW, near Farragut West Metro Station, and opened fire on two National Guard members without provocation. Fellow guardsmen at the scene responded immediately to engage and subdue the suspect.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Ballentine, Ariel Dean, Christopher Tortorice, and Laura Bach, with special assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough.
These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Felon Sentenced in D.C. for Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Glock Pistol with an Extended MagazineRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Anthony Eugene Burns, 31, a previously convicted felon residing in Maryland, was sentenced November 24, 2025, in U.S. District Court to 55 months in prison in connection with his illegal possession of a loaded Glock 27 pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
A federal jury found Burns guilty on September 10, 2025, on a charge unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the 55-month prison term, Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Burns to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to the evidence presented to the jury, on Feb. 25, 2024, officers from the MPD were on patrol in Southeast when they received a call about a disorderly group of people at an apartment building on the 2700 block of Wade Road Southeast. As officers walked to the building, they observed Burns quickly turn and sprint away.
As Burns ran, officers saw him make an overhead throwing motion, appearing to toss a dark-colored object over a fence and into a large vacant lot. Burns continued to run through an alley between Eaton Road Southeast and Sumner Road Southeast. Officers briefly lost sight of Burns in the alley; however, they soon found him hiding on the 1200 block of Sumer Road Southeast.
Officers returned to where they observed Burns throw an object and recovered a black Glock 27 pistol with 21 rounds in an extended magazine and one in the chamber.
Burns previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in 2017 in connection with a violent armed robbery spree, that included conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, for which he was sentenced to 84 months in prison. Burns was still on supervised release for those charges at the time of this offense.
This case was investigated by the MPD and ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole and Special Assistant United States Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Robinson.
24cr151
Felon in Possession of a Pistol While on Supervised Release Sentenced to 18 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Hopkins, 39, a previously convicted felon who had been residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced November 24 in U.S. District Court to 18 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded 9mm firearm while on supervised release for another conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Hopkins pleaded guilty on July 25 to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon before Judge Jia M. Cobb. In addition to the 18-month prison sentence, Judge Cobb ordered Hopkins to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, on Nov. 20, 2024, MPD officers and DEA agents executed a search warrant at a residence in Southeast Washington, D.C. Hopkins did not reside at the residence, but the mother of his child did. When officers entered, Hopkins was seated on a couch in the main living area of the apartment.
After Hopkins moved from the couch, officers found an Astra A-100 9mm pistol wedged between the cushions on which he had been sitting. The firearm was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.
As a previously convicted felon, Hopkins was prohibited from possessing any firearm. Hopkins collected five adult convictions between 2004 and 2016 for possession of marijuana, distribution of marijuana, carrying a pistol without a license, attempted unlawful possession of liquid PCP, and burglary, assault with significant bodily injury, kidnapping, stalking, civil protection order violation, and destruction of property under $1,000. All but one of the offenses that led to those adult convictions were committed while the defendant was on supervision. Hopkins had been on supervised release for less than two months before he was arrested on the current felon-in-possession charge.
This case was investigated by the MPD and the DEA’s Washington Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Naseef and Mark Levy for the District of Columbia.
25-cr-0118
Teen to Serve Less Than Four Months in Jail for CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mark Edwards, 18, of Washington D.C., was sentenced Friday in the Superior Court, stemming from a carjacking that occurred in May 2025 in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Edwards pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025, to one count of carjacking. At Edwards’ sentencing on November 21, 2025, the United States requested a sentence of seven years of incarceration, the top of his sentencing guidelines, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The Honorable Judith Pipe sentenced Edwards to 84 months of imprisonment, suspended as to all but time served, and one year of supervised probation. The Court’s sentence was entered pursuant to the Youth Rehabilitation Act, over the government’s objection, which permits a sentence beneath the mandatory minimum term of seven years of incarceration for carjacking. Edwards had been in custody since August 6, 2025, and had served approximately 108 days in jail. Edwards will not have to serve the remainder of the suspended sentence if he satisfactorily completes his year of probation.
According to the proffer of facts, on May 28, 2025, the defendant and a second suspect approached a double-parked car, told the driver to exit the vehicle, implied they had a weapon, and stole the vehicle. Edwards and a 14-year-old suspect subsequently were apprehended in Maryland following a vehicle pursuit.
Edwards also was a suspect and had been charged with robbery in connection with a May 22, 2025, attempted carjacking that also was resolved through his plea agreement. In that incident, two suspects approached a double-parked car, told the driver to exit the vehicle, demanded the driver’s keys, and stole his cell phone. The driver managed to get back into his car and escape the scene.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Jury Finds Man Guilty of Second-Degree Murder for Shooting, Stabbing, and Beating Man in Capitol HillRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On November 21, 2025, a Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts for Julius Worthy, 42, on charges of second-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and related offenses stemming from the homicide of Orlando Galloway and the attack of Shaquia Lewis on April 2, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The Honorable Jason Park scheduled sentencing for January 30, 2026. Worthy faces a maximum sentence of 95 years in prison for the crimes.
In April of 2023, Worthy lived with 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 Chief Pamela Smith 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.
Jury Finds Man Guilty of First-Degree Murder for Killing a 13-Year-Old Young BoyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On November 19, 2025, a Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts for Reginald Steele, Jr., 26, on charges of first degree murder while armed, several counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and other firearm related charges stemming from a homicide of a 13-year old young boy, Malachi Lukes, on March 1, 2020, and a separate shooting in the Petworth neighborhood on February 22, 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro.
Steele, along with four co-defendants—who were tried and convicted separately—is a member and associate of the neighborhood crews 3500, CHV, Rock Creek Church, Really Ready Gang, and 640. Between 2019-2020, the defendant’s neighborhood was feuding with street crews Ninth Street over who was the “Real NW Goon”—3500/Really Ready Gang member Tahlil Byrd, also known as Slatt Goon, or Ninth Street rapper Tyree Marshall, known as Slime Goon. The feud escalated when Slatt Goon was killed in Ninth Street territory, the 600 block of S Street NW, in September 2019.
Five months later, on March 1, 2020, on an otherwise calm Sunday afternoon, Reginald Steele and three co-defendants drove to Ninth Street territory and circled the neighborhood looking for friends, members, and associates of Ninth Street. As they drove throughout the neighborhood in a stolen Kia Soul, they spotted 13-year-old Malachi Lukes who, along with his three teen friends, was walking towards the 600 block of S Street NW to play basketball. The defendants followed the boys, pulling into that 600 block of S Street and stopping by the mouth of an alley where Malachi and his friends had turned. Then, at approximately 2:08pm, the defendant and one of his confederates exited the stolen Kia Soul and fired 11 gunshots. Malachi Lukes was shot in the back as he fled. The bullet traveled through his heart and lung causing him to collapse to his death. Another boy was shot in the leg, and the remaining two escaped the barrage of bullets. The defendant and his confederates then traveled to another neighborhood where members of Ninth Street were known to gather and at 2:18 p.m., opened fire on individuals in that block. Fortunately, no one was injured in this shooting.
The government’s case relied on largely circumstantial evidence such as surveillance videos, text messages, GPS data recovered from the stolen Kia Soul and other location and cell cite data. One of the key pieces of evidence the government presented, however, were the shell casings recovered from both March 1 shooting scenes. These casings were subsequently linked to another shooting on February 22, 2020, in the Petworth neighborhood. On that day, Steele and one of his co-defendants got into a verbal altercation with two individuals who lived in the area. Steele and his confederate then escalated this mere exchange of words and fired 11 gunshots causing the victims to flee for safety. The firearms evidence recovered from this shooting scene was consistent with the firearms evidence in both March 1, 2020 shooting scenes providing evidence of Steele’s identity and participation in all three shootings.
Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman who was assisted by Supervisory Paralegals Tasha Harris and April Urbanowski. U.S. Attorney Pirro also acknowledged Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, Supervisory Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Robert Cephas, and the entire Victim Witness Assistance Unit; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Leif Hickling, Will Henderson, Charlie Bruce, and the Litigation Technology Unit; Office of E-Litigation Chief Emily Miller; Special Counsel for Discovery Chimnomnso Kalu for legal guidance; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); United States Marshal Service, D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS); U.S. Park Police; Montgomery County Police Department; DC Department of Corrections; and Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb and Nebiyu Feleke for their critical efforts in prosecuting this case.
Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Images Nets District Man 74 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Khari McKoy, 29, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 74 months in prison for possessing hundreds of images of children being sexually abused, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
McCoy pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly to possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Kelly ordered McCoy to serve 10 years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.
According to court documents, in mid-January 2024, Google reported that someone had uploaded more than 1,000 files of suspected child sexual abuse material to the Google Drive and Google Drive applications. The tip led to an investigation by the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF). FBI agents and MPD officers reviewed the files and determined that most of them depicted prepubescent boys engaged in sexual acts. Following a search warrant at McCoy’s residence, agents recovered devices that contained several images of child sexual abuse material.
The case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from the region The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Bohlen and Karen Shinskie.
24cr0411
Possession of 35 Machine Gun Conversion Devices Results in 21-Month Prison Sentence for Maryland ManRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Edward Devon Gadson, 27, of Waldorf, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 21 months in prison in connection with his possession of 35 illegal machine gun conversion devices within the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Gadson pleaded guilty on July 11 to a charge of unlawful transfer and possession of a machine gun and aiding and abetting. In addition to the 21-month prison term, Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Gadson to serve three years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony A. Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, on Oct. 2, 2024, about 5 p.m., MPD officers stopped Gadson as he was in the driver’s seat of a Dodge Durango with heavily tinted windows on the 2300 block of Green St. SE, in Anacostia.
MPD officers noticed a clear plastic bag in plain view on the back passenger side floor. The bag appeared to have firearms accessories in it. Officers removed the bag from the car and determined it contained dozens of machine gun conversion devices (aka MCDs or “switches”). Each device would allow a pistol to be converted into an automatic firearm. The devices had been 3-D printed and included distinctive images of an internet meme known as “Not ATF Guy.”
This case was investigated by the MPD and the ATF Washington Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D. Crabb and Thomas Strong.
Felon Who Harassed Family on WMATA Bus with an Uzi-Style Pistol Sentenced to Five Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ricardo Rush, 29, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced on October 23 to 60 months in prison in connection with a March 2025 incident during which he pulled out an Uzi-style semi-automatic pistol on a crowded Metrobus and threatened to kill two parents and their young children, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Rush pleaded guilty on June 17 before Judge Amir H. Ali to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, to assault with a dangerous weapon, and to possession of a firearm during crime of violence or dangerous offense. In addition to the five-year prison term, Judge Ali ordered Rush to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Rush boarded a WMATA bus on March 8, 2025 about 11:26 a.m. on the 300 block of Ridge Road SE. Four minutes later, a man and a woman accompanying two small children board the same bus on the 4800 block of Texas Avenue SE.
The family sat in the row in front of Rush, who began harrassing them. About 11:32 a.m., Rush stood up, stated “Bitch, sit down, this isn’t a toy,” and pointed a black pistol in the woman’s face.
The bus pulled over. Rush continued to intimidate the woman, waved the gun, and threatened to kill all four family members.
About 11:33 a.m., Rush stepped off the bus and pointed the weapon at the woman for a third time. Two minutes later, Rush reboarded the bus. He threatened again to kill the man and woman as he held the firearm, pointing it at the man. Rush head-butted the man and threatened him.
After threatening the family again, Rush exited the bus and fled the scene.
On April 10, 2025, about 11:10 a.m., law enforcement located Rush at his residence. Officers located a black MasterPiece Arms Defender semi-automatic handgun loaded with one round in the chamber, and which contained a high-capacity magazine loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. They recovered an additional magazine holding 13 rounds.
Rush had previously been convicted in 2021 of assault with a dangerous weapon in Superior Court and as a felon was prohibited from possessing any firearm.
This case was investigated by WMATA and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English and Special Assistant Haley Pennington.
Carjacker Gets 14 Years in Prison for Two Separate Carjackings Committed in the Same WeekRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Malik Kearney, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday in Superior Court, for carjacking and firearms offenses stemming from two separate carjackings in December, 2024, and January, 2025, in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Kearney pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025, to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for offenses that occurred on December 28, 2024, and to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for the January 3, 2025, offenses.
On November 18, the Honorable Judge Andrea Hertzfeld sentenced Kearney to 14 years in prison. Judge Hertzfeld sentenced his co-defendant, Erick Alvarenga, to 14 years in prison on August 29, 2025. Kearney and Alvarenga were both sentenced to three years of supervised release following their terms of incarceration.
According to the proffer of facts, on December 28, 2024, around 4:45 a.m., the first victim was in a Jeep SUV that was parked in the 6100 block of Eastern Avenue, Northeast, when the defendants approached, one of whom was armed with a black handgun. Alvarenga and Kearney told the victim to get out of the car and to give them the keys. The victim complied with the demand and exited the vehicle. The defendants then drove away from the scene in the victim’s vehicle.
The second offense occurred days later, on January 3, 2025, around 3:00 p.m. when the second victim was at a gas station in the 4200 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, Northeast. As the victim finished putting gas in his Dodge sedan, Alvarenga used the Jeep which had been stolen on December 28, 2024, to block in the second victim’s car. Kearney then approached the second victim with a handgun and ordered him out of his car. Kearney got behind the wheel of the Dodge, and both vehicles fled in the same direction.
Alvarenga and Kearney were arrested on January 3, 2025, and have been detained during the pendency of this case.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Randle Wilson and Amanda Claire Hoover, who prosecuted the case.