District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
District Man Found Guilty of Armed Robbery and Other Charges for Beating and Robbing A Man in Early Evening Attack-Defendant Stole Victim’s IPhone, Wallet and Keys-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Marvin Jefferson, 25, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of aggravated assault while armed, armed robbery, and related firearms offenses for attacking a man in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Jefferson was found guilty by the jury following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2014.
According to the government’s evidence, in the early evening hours of Oct. 28, 2013, Jefferson attacked a man he had just encountered at a liquor store in the 1300 block of North Capitol Street NE. The victim, a 24-year-old engineering graduate of Howard University, had stopped at the store to get a beer. Jefferson, also inside the store, tried to take the victim’s iPhone. The victim put his iPhone in his jacket pocket, paid for his beer, and left the store.
Jefferson, however, followed the victim to the street. He tried to reach into the victim’s jacket to get the iPhone, and when the victim turned around, Jefferson began striking him. Jefferson hit the victim in the forehead with what appeared to be a gun, causing lacerations. Then, while the victim was in a disoriented and semi-conscious state, Jefferson robbed him of his phone, wallet and keys. The victim lost consciousness and dropped to the ground, chipping his tooth. Once he regained consciousness, he flagged down two police officers. A few days after the attack, he was able to identify Jefferson as his attacker.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Paralegal Specialist Donville Drummond, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mannarino. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clayton O’Connor, who secured the indictment, and John P. Fucetola, who prosecuted the case.
14-081Two Men Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Killing A Man During 2009 Kidnapping and Robbery-Second Victim Was Shot and Wounded-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Keith Logan, 51, was sentenced today to life in prison with no possibility of release, and Paul Ashby, also 51, was sentenced today to a 90-year prison term on charges stemming from the 2009 killing of a man during a kidnapping and robbery, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Logan, Ashby, and a third defendant - Merle Watson, Jr., 57 - were found guilty by a jury in August 2013 of first-degree murder while armed, with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy, kidnapping while armed, armed robbery, and weapons offenses. Logan also was found guilty of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, and mayhem while armed, for shooting a potential witness on the night of the murder. The verdicts followed several weeks of trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
The Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr. sentenced Logan and Ashby today. Watson is to be sentenced May 16, 2014. All three defendants are from Washington, D.C.
According to the government’s evidence, Logan, Ashby, and Watson conspired to kidnap and rob Carnell Bolden, 36. They lured Mr. Bolden into Logan’s residence in the unit block of W Street NW during the early evening hours of Dec. 30, 2009. After beating him unconscious and tying him up, the defendants then went to get Mr. Bolden’s car, which was parked on the block.
Logan, Ashby, and Watson then discovered that Mr. Bolden’s girlfriend was sitting in the car. Fearing she would be a witness against them because she might know where Mr. Bolden was going when he left the car, they then decided to kill both of them.
Ashby drove Mr. Bolden, tied up and unconscious, to the 3000 block of Park Drive SE, where he dragged him into a wooded area adjacent to that block. He then shot Mr. Bolden twice at close range with a .38 or .357-caliber handgun, killing him.
While Ashby was on the way to Southeast Washington with Mr. Bolden, Logan approached Mr. Bolden’s girlfriend as she sat in her car. He stood outside the driver’s window and shot her four times with a nine-millimeter handgun. She was rushed to Washington Hospital Center and survived the attack.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va.
He also thanked those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates and Specialists Marcia Rinker, La June Thames, Katina Adams-Washington, and Michael Hailey; Paralegal Specialists Sandra Lane, Kendra Johnson, Kwasi Fields, Anthony Griffith, and Antoinette Sakamsa; Litigation Technology Specialists Paul Howell, William Henderson, and Anisha Bhatia; Law Clerks Lauren Sparks and Ryan Lipes, and Criminal Investigators Derek Starliper, Mark Crawford, Nelson Rhone, Chris Brophy, and Melissa Matthews. In addition, he acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alessio Evangelista, who led the grand jury investigation, and Reagan Taylor, who helped prepare the case for trial. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Liebman and Erik Kenerson, who tried the case.
14-079Two Men Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Killing A Man During 2009 Kidnapping and Robbery-Second Victim Was Shot and Wounded-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Keith Logan, 51, was sentenced today to life in prison with no possibility of release, and Paul Ashby, also 51, was sentenced today to a 90-year prison term on charges stemming from the 2009 killing of a man during a kidnapping and robbery, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Logan, Ashby, and a third defendant - Merle Watson, Jr., 57 - were found guilty by a jury in August 2013 of first-degree murder while armed, with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy, kidnapping while armed, armed robbery, and weapons offenses. Logan also was found guilty of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, and mayhem while armed, for shooting a potential witness on the night of the murder. The verdicts followed several weeks of trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
The Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr. sentenced Logan and Ashby today. Watson is to be sentenced May 16, 2014. All three defendants are from Washington, D.C.
According to the government’s evidence, Logan, Ashby, and Watson conspired to kidnap and rob Carnell Bolden, 36. They lured Mr. Bolden into Logan’s residence in the unit block of W Street NW during the early evening hours of Dec. 30, 2009. After beating him unconscious and tying him up, the defendants then went to get Mr. Bolden’s car, which was parked on the block.
Logan, Ashby, and Watson then discovered that Mr. Bolden’s girlfriend was sitting in the car. Fearing she would be a witness against them because she might know where Mr. Bolden was going when he left the car, they then decided to kill both of them.
Ashby drove Mr. Bolden, tied up and unconscious, to the 3000 block of Park Drive SE, where he dragged him into a wooded area adjacent to that block. He then shot Mr. Bolden twice at close range with a .38 or .357-caliber handgun, killing him.
While Ashby was on the way to Southeast Washington with Mr. Bolden, Logan approached Mr. Bolden’s girlfriend as she sat in her car. He stood outside the driver’s window and shot her four times with a nine-millimeter handgun. She was rushed to Washington Hospital Center and survived the attack.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va.
He also thanked those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates and Specialists Marcia Rinker, La June Thames, Katina Adams-Washington, and Michael Hailey; Paralegal Specialists Sandra Lane, Kendra Johnson, Kwasi Fields, Anthony Griffith, and Antoinette Sakamsa; Litigation Technology Specialists Paul Howell, William Henderson, and Anisha Bhatia; Law Clerks Lauren Sparks and Ryan Lipes, and Criminal Investigators Derek Starliper, Mark Crawford, Nelson Rhone, Chris Brophy, and Melissa Matthews. In addition, he acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alessio Evangelista, who led the grand jury investigation, and Reagan Taylor, who helped prepare the case for trial. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Liebman and Erik Kenerson, who tried the case.
14-079District Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for 2011 Slaying of Taxicab Driver in Northeast Washington-Shooting Took Place During A Robbery, Following Argument over 75 Cents-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rashad Slye, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for the 2011 killing of a taxicab driver during a robbery in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Slye pled guilty in January 2014, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 17 years in prison. The Honorable Jennifer Anderson accepted the plea agreement today and sentenced Slye accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, Slye will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, at about 2:50 a.m., Slye and a friend called for a taxicab at the Morgan Boulevard Metro station in Landover, Md. Within a few minutes, the victim, Domingo Ezirike, 40, arrived in his taxicab and picked up Slye and his friend. Slye asked to be taken to Ponds Street NE in the District of Columbia. Mr. Ezirike asked Slye and his friend for $20, and the friend gave Mr. Ezirike $20. Within minutes, Slye began arguing with Mr. Ezirike about the fare and about the lack of heat or music in the cab.
Mr. Ezirike drove the cab to the 4300 block of Ponds Street NE and he asked for an additional $7.75 in fare. Slye’s friend gave him $5 and Slye gave him $2. However, Mr. Ezirike insisted on the additional 75 cents, and he and Slye argued over the money.
After Slye’s friend got out of the cab and left the immediate area, Slye continued to argue over the fare. He pulled out a 9mm handgun and demanded the $20 back. He also ordered Mr. Ezirike out of the cab and onto the ground. At that point, he stood over Mr. Ezirike and began to rifle through his pockets, asking where the money could be found.
Slye struck Mr. Ezirike in the head with the gun and continued searching him, insisting he was hiding the money. Mr. Ezirike offered to remove his pants and while still on the ground, did so. Slye then entered the vehicle, still holding Mr. Ezirike on the ground at gunpoint, as he searched the front passenger compartment. He then ordered Mr. Ezirike back into the taxicab and insisted that he search for money. Then, as Mr. Ezirike sat in the driver's seat, Slye fired a single shot that struck him in the arm, causing him to immediately fall back into the seat and remain still. Slye immediately fled the scene towards the 1500 block of Anacostia Avenue NE.
Mr. Ezirike placed the vehicle in reverse and drove it backwards and onto grass on Anacostia Avenue. He died on the scene, as the bullet traveled from his arm and into his chest cavity.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers and crime scene technicians who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Meridith McGarrity, Mia Beamon, Phaylyn Hunt, Paralegal Supervisor Sharon Newman, Victim/Witness Advocate Tamara Ince, and Information Technology Specialist Leif Hickling. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Gorman and Kacie M. Weston, who prosecuted the case.
14-078District Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for 2011 Slaying of Taxicab Driver in Northeast Washington-Shooting Took Place During A Robbery, Following Argument over 75 Cents-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rashad Slye, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for the 2011 killing of a taxicab driver during a robbery in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Slye pled guilty in January 2014, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 17 years in prison. The Honorable Jennifer Anderson accepted the plea agreement today and sentenced Slye accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, Slye will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, at about 2:50 a.m., Slye and a friend called for a taxicab at the Morgan Boulevard Metro station in Landover, Md. Within a few minutes, the victim, Domingo Ezirike, 40, arrived in his taxicab and picked up Slye and his friend. Slye asked to be taken to Ponds Street NE in the District of Columbia. Mr. Ezirike asked Slye and his friend for $20, and the friend gave Mr. Ezirike $20. Within minutes, Slye began arguing with Mr. Ezirike about the fare and about the lack of heat or music in the cab.
Mr. Ezirike drove the cab to the 4300 block of Ponds Street NE and he asked for an additional $7.75 in fare. Slye’s friend gave him $5 and Slye gave him $2. However, Mr. Ezirike insisted on the additional 75 cents, and he and Slye argued over the money.
After Slye’s friend got out of the cab and left the immediate area, Slye continued to argue over the fare. He pulled out a 9mm handgun and demanded the $20 back. He also ordered Mr. Ezirike out of the cab and onto the ground. At that point, he stood over Mr. Ezirike and began to rifle through his pockets, asking where the money could be found.
Slye struck Mr. Ezirike in the head with the gun and continued searching him, insisting he was hiding the money. Mr. Ezirike offered to remove his pants and while still on the ground, did so. Slye then entered the vehicle, still holding Mr. Ezirike on the ground at gunpoint, as he searched the front passenger compartment. He then ordered Mr. Ezirike back into the taxicab and insisted that he search for money. Then, as Mr. Ezirike sat in the driver's seat, Slye fired a single shot that struck him in the arm, causing him to immediately fall back into the seat and remain still. Slye immediately fled the scene towards the 1500 block of Anacostia Avenue NE.
Mr. Ezirike placed the vehicle in reverse and drove it backwards and onto grass on Anacostia Avenue. He died on the scene, as the bullet traveled from his arm and into his chest cavity.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers and crime scene technicians who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Meridith McGarrity, Mia Beamon, Phaylyn Hunt, Paralegal Supervisor Sharon Newman, Victim/Witness Advocate Tamara Ince, and Information Technology Specialist Leif Hickling. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Gorman and Kacie M. Weston, who prosecuted the case.
14-078Former Federal Contract Employee Sentenced to 13 Months in Prison for Disclosing National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, a former federal contract employee, was sentenced today to 13 months in prison for the unauthorized disclosure of national defense information, announced Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Kim pleaded guilty on Feb. 7, 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of making an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for Kim to be sentenced to 13 months in prison, to be followed by a year of supervised release. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly accepted the plea today and sentenced Kim accordingly.
Kim, 46, was a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employee on detail to the State Department’s Bureau of Verification, Compliance and Implementation (VCI) at the time of the disclosure. At the time, Kim worked as a Senior Advisor for Intelligence to the Assistant Secretary of State for VCI. According to court documents, on June 11, 2009, Kim knowingly and willfully disclosed to a reporter TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION (TS/SCI) relating to the national defense.
The information concerned the military capabilities and preparedness of North Korea and was contained in an intelligence report classified at the TS/SCI level that Kim accessed on a classified computer database. Within hours of the disclosure, a news organization published an article on the Internet that included the TS/SCI national defense information that Kim had disclosed.
“Stephen Kim was a sophisticated consumer of intelligence who knew the enormous damage that could be done by disclosing highly classified information about North Korea’s military capabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He is now headed to federal prison to pay the price for betraying the trust of his country and placing our nation’s security at risk. Hopefully this prosecution will deter others who are considering compromising our nation’s most sensitive secrets.”
“As a federal contract employee to the State Department, Kim abused his position of trust and put the security of our nation at risk by knowingly disclosing Top Secret information,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Today’s sentence serves as a warning to anyone who has access to information held by the U.S. government and would consider compromising our nation’s secrets – we will continue to take all necessary steps to investigate and prosecute those who illegally divulge national security information.”
Kim was indicted in August 2010. According to court documents that were filed at the time of the plea, Kim admitted that he did not believe that he was exposing government waste, fraud, abuse, or any other kind of government malfeasance or misfeasance. Further, Kim admitted that he had reason to believe that his unauthorized disclosure could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation. Finally, he acknowledged that he was never authorized, directly or indirectly, by the United States Government to communicate any national defense information to the media.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with the assistance of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Michael Harvey, Jonathan M. Malis, and Thomas A. Bednar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Deborah A. Curtis and Julie A. Edelstein of the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
14-077Former Federal Contract Employee Sentenced to 13 Months in Prison for Disclosing National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, a former federal contract employee, was sentenced today to 13 months in prison for the unauthorized disclosure of national defense information, announced Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Kim pleaded guilty on Feb. 7, 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of making an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for Kim to be sentenced to 13 months in prison, to be followed by a year of supervised release. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly accepted the plea today and sentenced Kim accordingly.
Kim, 46, was a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employee on detail to the State Department’s Bureau of Verification, Compliance and Implementation (VCI) at the time of the disclosure. At the time, Kim worked as a Senior Advisor for Intelligence to the Assistant Secretary of State for VCI. According to court documents, on June 11, 2009, Kim knowingly and willfully disclosed to a reporter TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION (TS/SCI) relating to the national defense.
The information concerned the military capabilities and preparedness of North Korea and was contained in an intelligence report classified at the TS/SCI level that Kim accessed on a classified computer database. Within hours of the disclosure, a news organization published an article on the Internet that included the TS/SCI national defense information that Kim had disclosed.
“Stephen Kim was a sophisticated consumer of intelligence who knew the enormous damage that could be done by disclosing highly classified information about North Korea’s military capabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He is now headed to federal prison to pay the price for betraying the trust of his country and placing our nation’s security at risk. Hopefully this prosecution will deter others who are considering compromising our nation’s most sensitive secrets.”
“As a federal contract employee to the State Department, Kim abused his position of trust and put the security of our nation at risk by knowingly disclosing Top Secret information,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Today’s sentence serves as a warning to anyone who has access to information held by the U.S. government and would consider compromising our nation’s secrets – we will continue to take all necessary steps to investigate and prosecute those who illegally divulge national security information.”
Kim was indicted in August 2010. According to court documents that were filed at the time of the plea, Kim admitted that he did not believe that he was exposing government waste, fraud, abuse, or any other kind of government malfeasance or misfeasance. Further, Kim admitted that he had reason to believe that his unauthorized disclosure could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation. Finally, he acknowledged that he was never authorized, directly or indirectly, by the United States Government to communicate any national defense information to the media.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with the assistance of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Michael Harvey, Jonathan M. Malis, and Thomas A. Bednar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Deborah A. Curtis and Julie A. Edelstein of the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
14-077Idaho Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for November 2011 Shooting at the White House-Defendant Fired at Least Eight Shots in Attack-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 23, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, who used a semi-automatic assault rifle to fire at least eight rounds at the White House in November 2011, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for terrorism and weapons offenses.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Kathy A. Michalko, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service.
Ortega-Hernandez pled guilty Sept. 18, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of injury to a dwelling and placing lives in jeopardy within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, as well as one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Additionally, he admitted that the attack was a terrorist act, and therefore, a sentencing enhancement under the United States Sentencing Guidelines is applicable.
The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer sentenced Ortega-Hernandez this afternoon. In addition to the prison term, she ordered that he pay approximately $94,000 in restitution for damage caused to the White House. Upon completion of his prison term, Ortega-Hernandez will be placed on five years of supervised release.
“This man drove cross-country to launch an assault rifle attack on the White House from Constitution Avenue,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He was motivated by hatred for the President and the desire to start a revolution against the federal government. We are very fortunate that his bullets narrowly missed the U.S. Secret Service officers guarding the White House that night. This 25-year prison sentence demonstrates that anyone who comes to the nation’s capital planning to use violence should expect to spend decades behind bars.”
“Acts of terrorism, like the one that Mr. Ortega-Hernandez was sentenced for today, instill a sense of fear in our community,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Along with our law enforcement partners, the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and Evidence Response Team diligently worked to collect evidence of Ortega-Hernandez’s actions on the night of Nov. 11, 2011, ultimately leading to the justice he received today for committing this crime of violence.”
“Today’s sentencing is the result of the efforts of the U.S Secret Service and many of our law enforcement partners to provide the highest level of protection to our Nation’s leaders,” said Special Agent in Charge Michalko.
**
According to the government’s evidence, the events unfolded like this:
Beginning in 2010, Ortega-Hernandez made repeated statements to many friends and associates in Idaho about his contempt for the federal government, and he espoused numerous theories regarding how the federal government was seeking to control Americans through Global Positioning System chips, fluoride, and aspartame. He also criticized the federal government for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, claiming that the United States was “bullying” other countries to obtain oil. He made numerous statements vilifying the President of the United States, calling him “the devil” and “the anti-Christ,” among other things. On numerous occasions, he told friends and associates that “he was on a mission from God to take out Obama.”
On March 19, 2011, Ortega-Hernandez purchased a Romanian Cugir SA semi-automatic (AK-47-style) assault rifle from an individual in Idaho for $550. He also purchased more than 1,200 rounds of ammunition to use with the weapon. In August 2011, Ortega-Hernandez purchased a scope kit on the Internet and asked a friend to install it on the weapon for him. Over the course of six months, Ortega-Hernandez repeatedly practiced firing the weapon at a desolate crater located on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management outside of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
On Oct. 23, 2011, Ortega-Hernandez made two short videos at the home of one of his friends. In the videos, he praised Osama bin Laden for having the courage to stand up to the United States, and called for a revolution against the federal government. Ortega-Hernandez described himself as a “cold-hearted warrior of God” and declared, “it’s time for Armageddon.”
After making the two videos, Ortega-Hernandez departed Idaho Falls and drove more than 2,000 miles, armed with his Romanian Cugir SA semi-automatic assault rifle with the attached scope, and more than 180 rounds of ammunition.
On Nov. 11, 2011, at approximately 8:50 p.m., Ortega-Hernandez drove southbound on 15th Street NW and made a right turn onto Constitution Avenue NW. Shortly after passing the entrance to the Ellipse, he stopped his vehicle in the middle of the road. With the passenger-side window of his car lowered, he pointed his assault rifle out the passenger-side window of the car and aimed directly at the White House. He fired at least eight rounds at the White House.
Following the shooting, Ortega-Hernandez fled the scene, driving erratically and at a high rate of speed westbound on Constitution Avenue. Moments later, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed near the ramp from Constitution Avenue to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge in front of the United States Institute of Peace. After efforts to restart the vehicle failed, Ortega-Hernandez fled from the vehicle on foot. Law enforcement subsequently launched a multi-jurisdictional search for Ortega-Hernandez. He was arrested on Nov. 16, 2011, in Indiana, Pa.
The FBI examined the area around the White House and located approximately eight bullet impact points on the south side of the building on or above the second story. Two bullets were recovered from the White House: one from a window frame on the Truman Balcony and one found on the ground east of the South entrance. The FBI determined that both of those bullets were fired from Ortega-Hernandez’s assault rifle. The FBI also recovered a bullet jacket that was found in the window sill of the Truman Balcony, which was also fired from Ortega-Hernandez’s assault rifle.
At the time of the shooting, two U.S. Secret Service officers were stationed on the northeast section of the roof of the White House. One of the bullets fired by Ortega-Hernandez struck the roof of the White House within approximately 20 feet of where the officers were stationed. In addition, another U.S. Secret Service Officer was stationed at the South Portico underneath the Truman balcony at the time of the shooting. Several of the bullets fired by Ortega-Hernandez struck the Truman balcony directly above where this officer was stationed. This officer took cover behind the stairwell, drew a firearm, and readied a shotgun.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave and Special Agent in Charge Michalko expressed their appreciation to those who diligently investigated this case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Park Police. They also acknowledged the assistance provided by the Pennsylvania State Police; the Arlington County, Va. Police Department; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania; the FBI Laboratory at Quantico, Va.; FBI field offices in Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City, including the Idaho Falls Resident Agency, and Secret Service field offices in Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, and Boise, Idaho. Additionally they thanked those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Borchert, who assisted in securing the defendant’s indictment; Paralegal Specialists Jenifer Rowe and Devron Elliott, Victim/Witness Coordinator Dawn Tolson-Hightower, and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling.
Finally, they commended the efforts of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney George P. Varghese and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessio D. Evangelista of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, who prosecuted the case.
14-075District Man Pleads Guilty to Prostituting and Sexually Abusing 15 Year-Old Victim-Defendant Lured Teenager from Seattle to Work as Prostitute-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jason Whren, 33, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges of first-degree sexual abuse of a child and pandering of a minor for sexually abusing and prostituting a 15-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Whren pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for June 11, 2014. Whren faces a potential sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release, as well as a fine of up to $250,000. In addition to prison time, he will be required to register as a sex offender for ten years.
According to the government’s evidence, Whren contacted the victim on Facebook and began to develop a relationship with her over the telephone and internet. After sending the victim numerous text messages that contained sexually explicit pictures of himself, Whren was able to entice the victim to travel from Seattle to Washington, D.C. in December 2012.
Upon her arrival in Washington, D.C., the defendant immediately engaged in intercourse and other sexual activities with the victim. He then began prostituting the teenager, forcing her to walk the streets to find clients, as well as compelling her to respond to illicit Internet advertisements that he posted. The activities took place between Dec. 1, 2012 and Dec. 5, 2012 in Northeast Washington. Whren’s crimes were ultimately discovered by undercover officers conducting an operation to locate child prostitutes in the District of Columbia.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics and Special Investigation Division, Human Trafficking Unit. He also praised those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danny Nguyen and Mervin A. Bourne, Jr., who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
14-076Maryland Man Sentenced to 17-Year Prison Term for 2010 Murder in Southeast Washington-Slaying Took Place in Attempted Robbery-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rafael Douglas, 20, of Capitol Heights, Md., was sentenced today to a 17-year prison term for his role in a murder that took place in broad daylight during an attempted robbery in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Douglas pled guilty in August 2013, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to second-degree murder while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin. Upon completion of his prison term, Douglas will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Douglas and two other men made plans to rob workers who were making repairs to a building in the 4600 block of Hillside Road SE. On the afternoon of May 28, 2010, one of the men, Javon Hale, dropped Douglas and the second accomplice off on Hillside Road. Douglas and the second accomplice then approached the workers for the purpose of robbing them, including the victim, Manuel De Jesus Sanchez, 29.
After they approached Mr. Sanchez, a physical confrontation ensued, and Douglas’s accomplice pulled out a gun and fatally shot the victim in the chest. Hale, 19, of Capitol Heights, Md., has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a charge of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence while armed, and other unrelated offenses. The alleged gunman was later killed in an unrelated shooting.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives, officers and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Bradford and Jeffrey Pearlman; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharad Khandelwal; Victim/Witness Advocate Melissa Milam; Paralegal Specialist Kendra Johnson; and Litigation Technology Specialist Josh Ellen. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Reagan M. Taylor, who prosecuted the case.
14-074District Man Sentenced to 11 ½ Years in Prison for Robbery and Burglary at Northeast Washington Gas StationMasked Defendant, and Two Others, Forced Their Way into Attendants’ Booth, Assaulted Attendant, and Stole over $700Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Arel Jennings, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 11 ½ years in prison on charges of robbery, burglary, wearing a hood or mask, and possession of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Jennings and co-defendants Kevin Barnes and James Wright were found guilty by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, following a trial in October of 2013. Jennings was sentenced by the Honorable Franklin L. Burgess, Jr. Upon completion of his prison term, Jennings will be placed on five years of supervised release.
At prior proceedings, Barnes, 27, and Wright, 24, were sentenced to prison terms of 54 and 42 months, respectively, for their roles in the case. Both are also from Washington, D.C.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 24, 2013, during the 11 p.m. shift change at a gas station in the 1300 block of Florida Avenue NE, Jennings, Barnes, and Wright, all wearing masks, forced their way into the attendants’ booth. The two attendants working the night shift were both recent immigrants to the United States.
One of the three assailants assaulted one of the attendants, and the three stole over $700 from the booth and fled. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Robbery Intervention Program were patrolling in the area, and apprehended all three defendants within a few blocks of the station. As he was being arrested, Jennings threw $185 onto the ground. A subsequent search revealed that Jennings had four plastic baggies of cocaine.
Jennings was subject to enhanced sentencing penalties, due to his multiple prior felony convictions in the District of Columbia.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen recognized the outstanding efforts of the detectives and officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, and particularly of the Robbery Intervention Unit, whose quick actions following the robbery were critical to the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb and Jean Sexton; Paralegal Specialist Todd McClelland; and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, who provided assistance. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Truong, who investigated and indicted the case, and James Ewing, who prosecuted the case at trial.
14-073Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Vincent Petaccio, 60, of Levittown, Pa., pled guilty today to a federal charge of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Petaccio entered the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Rudolph Contreras is to sentence him on June 18, 2014. Petaccio faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
According to the government's evidence, on April 12, 2013, Petaccio contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, who had posted an ad on a social network site. Over the course of two days, Petaccio engaged in instant message conversations with officer, whom he believed was the father of an under-aged girl.
During their communications, Petaccio sent the undercover officer 59 still images and 10 videos of graphic child pornography. Pursuant to a search of Petaccio’s home at the time of his arrest, law enforcement recovered approximately 150 still images and 10 videos of child pornography on his computer.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who is prosecuting the case.
14-072District Man Found Guilty of Assault with Intent to Kill and Other Charges in 2012 Shooting Outside RestaurantDefendant Sought Revenge After Fight, Shot Three MenRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Matthew Bullock, 30, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of a total of 24 charges stemming from the shooting of three men in December 2012 behind a restaurant in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
The verdicts, returned by a jury on March 19, 2014, followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The jury found Bullock guilty of three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of aggravated assault while armed, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and 15 additional charges. The Honorable John McCabe scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2014.
According to the government’s evidence, shortly after midnight, early on Dec. 3, 2012, Bullock and one of the victims were involved in a fistfight inside the Indulj Lounge, a bar/restaurant in the 1200 block of U Street NW. After the fight was broken up, Bullock was ushered out of the front door and the victims were ushered out of the back door.
Bullock hurried to his car, which was parked in front of the restaurant. He then drove to the alley behind the restaurant to intercept the man with whom he had been fighting. Once he saw the man in the alley, Bullock unleashed at least six rounds from a semi-automatic weapon, striking his intended target in the shoulder. In the barrage, Bullock also struck the two men accompanying his main target. One of these other men was struck by two bullets in the groin and leg. The final victim was struck in the back as he ran away from Bullock, and left paralyzed. Bullock fled the scene and was apprehended on an arrest warrant in January 2013.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling and Aneela Bhatia; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; and Paralegal Specialists Anthony Griffith and Kalisha Johnson-Clark. Finally, he thanked former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Finkelman and Nicholas Cannon, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Andrew Chambers, who prosecuted the case at trial.
14-071Four Gang Members Found Guilty of Taking Part in Conspiracy That Led to Murders, Shootings and Other Violence-One Murder Took Place Outside A Funeral in Northwest Washington-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Four members of a criminal street gang based at 14th and Girard Streets in Northwest Washington have been found guilty by a jury of murder and other charges stemming from a conspiracy to assault, kill, and threaten their rivals and obstruct justice.
The guilty verdicts were announced today by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Robert D. MacLean, Acting Chief of the U.S. Park Police.
The defendants, all from Washington, D.C., include Robert Givens, 21; Keir Johnson, 24; Lester Williams, 26, and Marcellus Jackson, 25. The guilty verdicts followed nearly four months of trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Givens, Johnson and Williams were found guilty on March 21, 2014, of murder and other offenses. Jackson was found guilty on the same date of conspiracy and related offenses. The jury then continued deliberations of other charges against Jackson, finding him guilty on March 24, 2014 of assault with a dangerous weapon and related charges. Today, the jury found him guilty of a second-degree murder charge.
The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2014. The defendants, who have been in custody since their arrests, face decades in prison.
The 14th and Girard gang, also known as G-Rod, 1-4, and the Cut Crew, was centered in the areas of 14th and Girard and 14th and Fairmont Streets NW. The group was engaged in a longstanding conflict with rival crews, especially ones that were based in the areas of 17th and Euclid Streets NW and the 600 block of Morton Street NW. The gang’s victims included Sean Robinson, 18, who was killed in the parking lot of a school in August 2010, and Jamal Coates, 21, who was killed following a funeral in September 2010.
“During a four-month trial, this jury learned about the outrageous gang violence that culminated with the brazen daylight murder of 21-year-old Jamal Coates at a busy U Street intersection,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “That murder came just a month after this gang killed a teenager in a school parking lot. These guilty verdicts send a clear message about our community’s refusal to tolerate gang violence. In the District, we hold accountable the crew members who try to spread chaos and fear throughout our neighborhoods.”
“These verdicts are a reminder to our community that every sector and department of the criminal justice system will make every effort and exhaust its resources to ensure that our streets are safer by eradicating violent street gangs,” said Police Chief Lanier. “Violence will not be tolerated, regardless of the intended recipient. I applaud all the hard work and collaboration of every agency involved in making today’s verdicts possible.”
Givens was found guilty of second-degree murder while armed in the slaying of Mr. Robinson, as well as a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon involving a second victim shot at the scene. He also was found guilty of conspiracy, firearms offenses, and charges that he committed the crimes for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
Johnson and Williams were each found guilty of first-degree murder while armed in the killing of Mr. Coates. They also were found guilty of assault with intent to kill in the shooting of another individual in that attack, as well as assault with a dangerous weapon for firing upon a third person that day. Johnson and Williams also were found guilty of conspiracy, firearms offenses, and charges that they committed the crimes for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Finally, Johnson also was found guilty of a charge of assault with intent to kill while armed stemming from a separate attack in June 2010 in which a man was wounded.
In addition to conspiracy, Jackson was found guilty of second-degree murder in the slaying of Mr. Coates, assault with a dangerous weapon involving an attack against one of the individuals with Mr. Coates, and charges that he committed the offenses for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
According to the government’s evidence, the shootings resulted from a longstanding conflict with rival crews. The government presented evidence of these and other crimes:
June 27, 2010: Johnson chased, shot, and attempted to kill a rival crew member in the parking lot of a gas station in the 3400 block of Georgia Avenue NW.
Aug. 11, 2010: Givens and others committed the murder of Mr. Robinson, who lived in the area of 17th and Euclid Streets, as well as the shooting of two 14-year-olds who were with him while they stood together in the parking lot of a school in the 2600 block of Mozart Street NW.
Sept. 28, 2010: Johnson and Williams committed the murder of Mr. Coates, a rival crew member, near 13th and U Streets NW, during the funeral procession for a young female with family ties to the rival crew. In addition to shooting Mr. Coates, Williams and Johnson shot a second person in the attack and fired upon a third individual. Jackson provided assistance to Johnson and Williams.
After the funeral shooting, the defendants took many steps to attempt to obstruct justice and avoid prosecution, such as trying to find and locate witnesses and in the case of two of the defendants, fleeing to North Carolina.
The men were indicted in December 2011, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Park Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Two other members of the crew earlier pled guilty to charges stemming from their violent conduct.
In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Machen, MPD Chief Lanier, and Acting U.S. Park Police Chief MacLean thanked those who investigated the case from theMPD, the Park Police, and the DEA. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service; the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team; the FBI Digital Forensic and Analysis Section; the U.S. Secret Service Forensic Sciences Division; the District of Columbia Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services; the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences; the Washington D.C./Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; the Alexandria, Va. Police Department; the Marlboro County, S.C. Sherriff’s Office, and the Miami-Dade County State’s Attorney’s Office. They also acknowledged the assistance of Bruce Budowle, PhD, executive director of the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Institute of Investigative Genetics.
They expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharad Khandelwal and Joseph P. Cooney, who helped secure the indictment; Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacie Weston, who assisted with trial preparation; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb and David Goodhand who assisted with legal analysis; and Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation. In addition, they acknowledged the work of Legal Assistants Kendra Johnson, Marian Russell, Sharon Newman, Kwasi Fields, Philip Aronson, and Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; former Intelligence Analyst Lawrence Grasso; Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Information Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Michael Hailey, M. Laverne Forrest, Debra Cannon, Tanya Via, and Katina Adams; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; and Criminal Investigators Durand Odom, Tommy Miller, Mark Crawford, and Christopher Brophy.
Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd Gee, Emily Miller, Laura Bach, and Deborah Sines, who prosecuted the case.
14-070Two Men Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder While Armed in 2008 Slaying of Government WitnessDefendants Also Found Guilty of Criminal Street Gang ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Willie Walker, Jr., 23, and Ricky Donaldson, 22, both of Washington, D.C., were found guilty by a jury today of first-degree premeditated murder while armed with aggravating circumstances for the September 2008 slaying of a woman who was a government witness, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.
The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the first-degree murder charge, the jury found the defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder while armed, obstructing justice, several firearms offenses, and related criminal street gang charges. The jury also found Walker guilty of charges of aggravated assault and assault with intent to kill for two related shootings in February and March of 2008.
The defendants are to be sentenced May 30, 2014 by Honorable John Ramsey Johnson.
According to the government’s evidence, Walker and Donaldson were members of a criminal street gang that operated in the area of the LeDroit Park neighborhood in Northwest Washington. The gang, known as “LDP,” or “Westside,” sold crack cocaine, among other illicit activities, in the Kelly Miller housing development in LeDroit Park.
On Feb. 4, 2008, after an argument, Walker shot a 55-year-old woman multiple times in the legs. The victim immediately identified Walker as her assailant to law enforcement. A warrant was issued for Walker’s arrest, but he was not immediately apprehended. On March 31, 2008, Walker argued with Delois “Peaches” Persha, 44. Ms. Persha referenced the earlier shooting that Walker had committed, telling him that she would not be treated the same way. In response, Walker shot Ms. Persha multiple times in the torso, and then, as she lay on the ground, multiple times in the face. Ms. Persha survived the attack, and immediately identified Walker as her assailant to law enforcement. For her protection, Ms. Persha, who had grown up in LeDroit Park, was relocated out of the area.
After Walker was arrested and detained in July 2008, he and Donaldson, along with the aid of other LDP gang members, began communicating about hunting down and killing the witnesses against Walker. On Sept. 13, 2008, Donaldson located Ms. Persha, who had returned to the area of LeDroit Park, and fatally shot her multiple times in the back and head. Ms. Persha died from her injuries on Sept. 18, 2008.
The jury found Walker guilty of crimes for his role in the February and March 2008 shootings, as well as the murder of Ms. Persha. Donaldson was found guilty in the murder.
“There is nothing we take more seriously than prosecuting those who would dare to use violence against a witness for simply being willing to tell the truth,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “In gunning down a witness, these gang members destroyed their own futures. Their heinous actions will put them where they belong – behind bars for decades.”
In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. He commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Marian Russell, Sharece Muschette, Gary Nails, and Rommell Pachoca; Lead Paralegal Specialist Philip Aronson; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Yvonne Bryant; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Michael Hailey, Deborah Cannon, M. Laverne Forrest, Katina Adams-Washington, and David Foster; Intelligence Specialist Zachary McMenamin; former Intelligence Specialist Larry Grasso; Criminal Investigators John Marsh and Durand Odom; and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling.
Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb, Elizabeth Danello, David Goodhand, and Suzanne Curt, who provided legal assistance, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alessio Evangelista and Michael Brittin, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Nielsen and Jeffrey Pearlman, who prosecuted the case at trial.
14-069District Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Felony Murder in 2011 Shooting in Northeast Washington-Shooting Followed Carjacking and Robbery-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON -David E. Warren, 27, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree felony murder while armed and other charges for the 2011 killing of a man in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
The verdicts, which were returned March 19, 2014, followed a three-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The jury convicted Warren of two counts of first-degree murder while armed during the commission of two separate felonies, second-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed, armed carjacking, armed robbery, and related weapons offenses. The Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston scheduled sentencing for June 6, 2014.
According to the government’s evidence, shortly before 11 p.m. on May 13, 2011, the victim, Ervin L. Griffin, 32, pulled his SUV into the 1200 block of 18th Street NE, shortly after meeting several young women at a nearby bus stop. While Mr. Griffin was sitting in his SUV, which was parked in the middle of the street, Warren approached and told Mr. Griffin to leave.
Eventually, Mr. Griffin pulled into an alley off of the 1200 block of 18th Street NE, where Warren entered the passenger side of Mr. Griffin’s SUV and took his keys. Warren, armed with a semi-automatic firearm, then went to the driver’s side of the SUV, pulled Mr. Griffin out, and demanded money. Warren, along with others, then walked Mr. Griffin up an alley and into a yard behind 1218 18th Place NE, where Mr. Griffin was shot and killed.
Surveillance video from the Metropolitan Police Department’s closed circuit television cameras showed the events leading up to Mr. Griffin’s murder, and showed Warren and others exiting the alley where the murder took place within a minute after the murder.
A co-defendant, Montez Warren, 32, the brother of David Warren, was acquitted by the jury of all charges. The final verdicts in his case were returned on March 20, 2014.
In announcing the conviction of David Warren, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Litigation Technology Specialists Thomas Royal, William Henderson, and Paul Howell; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; and Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Mia Beamon. Finally, he thanked former Assistant U.S. Attorney B. Michael Ortwein, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle D. Jackson and Holly R. Shick, who prosecuted the case.
14-068Member of FARC Terrorist Organization Pleads Guilty to Hostage-Taking Charges in 2003 Capture of U.S. CitizensHostages Were Held in Colombia for More Than Five YearsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Alexander Beltran Herrera, 37, a commander of the FARC terrorist organization, pled guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to hostage-taking charges stemming from the 2003 kidnappings of three U.S. citizens in Colombia.
The guilty plea was announced by Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; John P. Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Division.
Beltran Herrera pled guilty to three counts of hostage-taking. He is to be sentenced July 25, 2014, by the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth. The offense of hostage taking carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, although as part of the extradition process from Colombia, the United States agreed not to seek a sentence exceeding 60 years.
According to a statement of facts submitted as part of the plea hearing, the FARC is an armed, violent organization in Colombia, which since its inception in 1964, has engaged in an armed conflict to overthrow the Republic of Colombia, South America’s longest-standing democracy. The FARC has consistently used hostage taking as a primary technique in extorting demands from the Republic of Colombia, and hostage taking has been endorsed and commanded by FARC senior leadership. The FARC has characterized American citizens as “military targets” and has engaged in violent acts against Americans in Colombia, including murders and hostage taking. The FARC was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State in 1997 and remains so designated.
Beltran Herrera, a commander in the FARC, was involved in the hostage taking of three United States citizens: Marc D. Gonsalves, Thomas R. Howes, and Keith Stansell. These three, along with Thomas Janis, a United States citizen, and Sergeant Luis Alcides Cruz, a Colombian citizen, were seized on Feb. 13, 2003, by the FARC, after their single-engine aircraft made a crash landing in the Colombian jungle.
Members of the FARC murdered Mr. Janis and Sgt. Cruz at the crash site. Mr. Gonsalves, Mr. Howes, and Mr. Stansell were held by the FARC at gunpoint and were advised by FARC leadership that they would be used as hostages to increase pressure on the government of Colombia to agree to the FARC’s demands. At various times, the FARC marched the hostages from one site to another, placing them in the actual custody of various FARC fronts.
At the conclusion of one 40-day long march, in or about November 2004, the hostages were delivered to members of the FARC’s 27th Front, who imprisoned the hostages for nearly two years. During part of this period, Beltran Herrera was responsible for moving the hostages and keeping them imprisoned. Throughout the captivity of these three hostages, FARC jailors and guards used choke harnesses, chains, padlocks and wires to restrain the hostages, and used force and threats to continue their detention and prevent their escape. In July 2008, the Colombian military conducted a daring operation which resulted in the rescue of the hostages.
All told, members of the FARC held the Americans hostage for 1,967 days.
“Alexander Beltran Herrera was a terrorist and commander in the FARC organization who held three Americans hostage in the Colombian jungle,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “With today's guilty plea, he admitted to his role in terrorizing these Americans, who were held in captivity for more than five years. His extradition and prosecution reflect our determination to bring to justice anyone who sets out to harm our fellow citizens overseas.”
“This case underscores our resolve to hold accountable those who target our citizens with violence anywhere in the world,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “With this guilty plea, Alexander Beltran Herrera has admitted his participation in the hostage taking and captivity of three Americans by the FARC, a Colombian terrorist organization. I want to thank all of the prosecutors, agents, and analysts who made this result possible.”
“Alexander Beltran Herrera was a commander within FARC, a foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia that considered U.S. citizens to be targets for murder and hostage taking,” said Special Agent in Charge Piro. “First captured, then extradited to the United States, Herrera has now admitted to his role in moving and keeping hostage three American citizens, Marc D. Gonsalves, Thomas R. Howes and Keith Stansell. Once again, the excellent, longstanding cooperation between the Colombian National Police and U.S. law enforcement has ended another terrorist’s career of violence and thuggery.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Division. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Asuncion and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez from the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David Cora, from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The case was indicted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Kohl, of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The FBI’s Miami Division partnered in the investigation with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department’s Judicial Attachés in Colombia, and the FBI’s Office of the Legal Attaché in Bogota, Colombia. The Directorate of Intelligence (DIPOL) and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (GAULA) of the Colombian National Police also provided valuable support during the investigation.
14-067District Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Four Women in Series of Attacks Committed at Knifepoint-Defendant Lured Victims into His SUV, Then Raped Them-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Barrington Bennett, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 60 years in prison for sexually assaulting four victims at knifepoint between December 2011 and August 2012, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Bennett was found guilty by a jury in October 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of four counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed with aggravating circumstances, four counts of kidnapping while armed, and three counts of armed robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable John Ramsey Johnson.
According to the government=s evidence, Bennett lured the victims into his sport utility vehicle in attacks that took place on Dec. 16, 2011; Feb. 18, 2012; July 28, 2012, and Aug. 23, 2012.
One victim joined Bennett after the offer of a ride home. The others were prostitutes who believed they would perform sex for money. Bennett had folded down the middle row of seats in the SUV and covered it with a blanket. When victims got into the SUV, from various locations in Northeast and Northwest Washington, Bennett drove them to places in Northeast Washington. He pulled out a folding knife, held it to their throats, and raped them at knifepoint.
Bennett also robbed three of the victims of cell phones and money. He cut the fourth victim on her jaw and head, and she wiped her blood on the blanket. When she finally escaped the SUV, she saw the license plate and reported the tag number immediately.
Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department located the SUV within an hour, impounded it, and searched it after obtaining a warrant. Inside the SUV, police discovered a folding knife that contained DNA consistent with the fourth victim and the defendant. Police also found a blanket that contained the fourth victim’s blood, along with the DNA of the defendant and the first victim. Finally, the second victim had received a sexual assault kit which contained Bennett’s DNA.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department=s Sexual Assault Unit, the Fifth District, and the Forensic Science Division. He also commended the work of the Consolidated Forensic Sciences Division. He also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel and Tiffany Jones, and Victim-Witness Specialists David Foster and Katina Adams-Washington. He particularly commended the work of Claudia Gutierrez, Joe Calvarese, Leif Hickling and the entire Litigation Support Staff for their work on the case. Lastly, Mr. Machen thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Zubrensky, who investigated, indicted and tried the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Lazarus, who co-tried the case, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Andrews, who also investigated the case.
14-066District Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Nine-Year-Old Boy-Defendant Repeatedly Abused Child over Six-Month Period-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - A 49-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing a nine-year-old male relative, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim and his family, was found guilty by a jury in December 2013, of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Russell F. Canan. Upon completion of his prison term, the man will be placed on five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant repeatedly sexually abused the victim in 2009 during a six-month period in which he and the victim lived together in Laurel, Md. One incident took place in Washington D.C., at the defendant’s place of employment.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the agencies that investigated the case, including the Laurel, Md., Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)’s Youth Investigations Division. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and the Department of Justice, as well as the Children’s Advocacy Center, which provided critical services and treatment to the victim. In addition, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Child Forensic Interview Specialist Karen Giannakoulias; Paralegal Specialist Donhue Griffith; the Litigation Support Unit, including Litigation Technology Specialists Paul Howell and Joseph Calvarese, and the Victim Witness Assistance Unit, including Victim/Witness Advocates Melissa Milam and Elsa Resendiz. Finally, he praised the work of Criminal Investigator Mark Crawford and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Suttenberg, who indicted and prosecuted the case.
14-065Two Men Sentenced to More Than 60 Years in Prison for First-Degree Murder While Armed and Assault Charges in Shooting at Caribbean FestivalDefendants Fired About A Dozen Shots into Crowd, Killing Innocent BystanderRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Deonte Bryant and Terrance Bush, both 22 and of Washington, D.C., were each sentenced today to more than 60 years in prison for first-degree murder while armed and other charges for shooting and killing a man and wounding two other people during a shoot-out at a street festival in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
A jury found the men guilty in December 2013 of the murder charge, as well as three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of aggravated assault while armed, and related gun charges. The verdicts followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Bryant and Bush were sentenced by the Honorable John Ramsey Johnson. Bryant was sentenced to 60 and ½ years in prison and Bush was sentenced to 61 and ½ years in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, in the late afternoon of June 25, 2011, Bryant and Bush provoked and then participated in a shootout with a member of a rival neighborhood group, striking and injuring the rival, as well as three innocent bystanders who were hit by gunfire as they tried to run away. The shooting took place in broad daylight, during the Caribbean Festival, in the area of the 700 block of Gresham Place NW.
In total, Bryant and Bush fired about a dozen shots into the crowd. One of the innocent bystanders, Robert Foster, Jr., 43, was killed. Another innocent bystander was gravely wounded but survived. The third innocent bystander was shot in the leg and the side but also survived.
The rival, Terry Jimenez, 22, earlier pled guilty to charges in the case. He is awaiting sentencing.
“These murderers unloaded a dozen shots on a crowd of people enjoying a summer afternoon at the Caribbean Festival,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Their stunning indifference to human life was responsible for the death of an innocent bystander and serious injuries to two others. These lengthy prison sentences demonstrate our commitment to ending the pointless neighborhood feuds that incite violence and put innocent citizens at risk.”
“This festival was supposed to be a day of celebration, but an innocent bystander was killed and others were injured as a result of gunfire between rivals,” said Chief Lanier. “Hopefully, the sentencing today will provide a sense of closure to the family of the deceased victim and the surviving victims who were impacted by this senseless violence.”
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen and Chief Lanier praised the work of those who worked on the case from the MPD. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Mia Beamon; Victim/Witness Advocate Meshall Thomas, and Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling and Anisha Bhatia.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kerkhoff and Kate Rakoczy, who tried the case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Snyder and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Hegyi, who indicted the case.
14-064Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charge, Admits Role in A Network That Distributed Cocaine and Heroin-Arrest Followed DEA Investigation-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Herman Curtis Malone, 45, of Upper Marlboro, Md., pled guilty today to a federal drug offense for his role in a network that distributed substantial quantities of cocaine and heroin in the Washington, D.C. area.
The guilty plea, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Karl C. Colder,Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Malone pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin. The charge carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and under the terms of the plea deal, the defendant may be sentenced to as many as ten years in prison. Given current federal sentencing guidelines, Malone faces an expected guideline range of 108 months to 120 months in prison as well as potential financial penalties. As part of the plea agreement, Malone must pay a forfeiture money judgment of $150,000.
The Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle scheduled sentencing for May 28, 2014.
Malone, who helped run youth basketball programs, had been convicted of a narcotics offense during the 1990s in Prince George’s County, Md. He was arrested on the current offenses on Aug. 9, 2013, following a DEA Group-43 Cross-Border-Task-Force investigation.
Two others have recently pled guilty to charges in the case. Clarence Redd, 34, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to a charge of distribution of heroin that took place in August of 2012. Derico Williams, 36, of Seat Pleasant, Md., pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Both men are awaiting sentencing. A fourth defendant is awaiting trial.
According to the government’s evidence, Malone himself conspired with others from August 2012 to August 2013 to distribute cocaine and heroin in the Washington, D.C. area. Malone acknowledged that as part of the conspiracy he was responsible for at least five kilograms of cocaine and at least 100 grams of heroin.
On Aug. 9, 2013, the DEA found a loaded .40-caliber handgun in the upstairs bedroom of Malone’s home in Upper Marlboro. Downstairs in the basement, agents found approximately one kilogram of cocaine and approximately 84 grams of heroin; a bag of .40-caliber ammunition; and cocaine residue in a sink and trash can. Malone, as someone who had been previously convicted in 1991 of a felony offense for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine in Prince George’s County, Maryland, was not lawfully able to possess a firearm.
“More than 20 years after he was first convicted of dealing cocaine, Curtis Malone returned to a life of drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He was perceived as a role model for our young people, but in truth he peddled heroin and cocaine and illegally possessed a firearm. Malone now faces a lengthy prison sentence that will send a clear message to the young men he sought to influence: joining the world of guns and drugs is a sure-fire way to ruin your future.”
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen and Special Agent in Charge Colder commended the work of those who investigated the case for the DEA. They also expressed appreciation to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Maryland State Police, and the Maryland Park Police. Assistance was provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
U.S. Attorney Machen and Special Agent in Charge Colder also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Rommel Pachoca, Starla Stolk, Candace Battle, Teesha Tobias, Regan Gibson, Kim Hall and Mary Downing; former Paralegal Specialist Jeremy Stoller; Legal Assistants Jessica Moffatt, Tammy Scott, Latoya Wade, and Diane Brashears, and former Legal Assistant Niya Attucks. They recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allessandra Stewart, Zia Faruqui, and Arvind K. Lal, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen J. Gripkey, Darlene M. Soltys, and Nihar R. Mohanty, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Zamarin, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
14-062Former Campaign Treasurer Indicted on Federal Charges, Accused of Stealing More Than $115,000-Defendant Allegedly Used Money for Trips, Retail Goods, Limousine Services-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Hakim J. Sutton, 32, of Washington, D.C., has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of stealing more than $115,000 from a District of Columbia political campaign in which he served as the treasurer and custodian of records.
The indictment, unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Sutton was named in a sealed indictment returned by a grand jury on Feb. 21, 2014. The charges include five counts of wire fraud, two tax offenses, six counts of filing false and misleading campaign finance reports, and one count of first-degree theft. The indictment includes a forfeiture allegation seeking a money judgment representing proceeds from the crimes.
According to the indictment, Sutton was the principal owner of the Sutton Group, which performed political consulting services in the District of Columbia and elsewhere. In 2011 and 2012, Sutton served as the treasurer and custodian of records for the campaign of a candidate seeking re-election to an at-large seat on the Council of the District of Columbia. The candidate, identified in court documents as “Candidate A,” ultimately lost in the November 2012 election.
According to the indictment, between September 2011 and May 2012, Sutton diverted approximately $115,250 from the campaign bank account to himself by depositing the funds drawn from the campaign bank account into his own personal bank accounts, and converting funds drawn from the campaign bank account to cash. All told, while serving as the campaign treasurer and in his capacity as a signatory on the campaign bank account, Sutton allegedly wrote 36 checks payable to himself and drawn from the campaign bank account.
Sutton used the money at various retailers, the indictment alleges, such as Gucci, Armani Exchange, and the Apple Store; to pay for limousine and car services, and to pay expenses for various trips, including to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Las Vegas, Miami, and other places.
The indictment alleges that Sutton omitted references to the checks that he had written to himself in a series of six reports he filed with the District of Columbia Office of Campaign Finance. Sutton also is accused of tax evasion and failing to file a tax return for calendar 2011.
“Hakim Sutton is charged with looting a political campaign of more than $115,000,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “According to the indictment, Sutton stole political donors’ money to go shopping at Gucci and Ferragamo and to travel to Las Vegas, Miami Beach, and Greece. This indictment reflects our commitment to ensuring integrity and transparency in the way political campaigns operate in the District of Columbia.”
“The theft of campaign funds impacts the donors’ right to participate in the election process, and the constituents are the ultimate victim,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly. “This indictment reaffirms that IRS-CI is committed to working with the US Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department to ensure political campaigns in the District of Columbia are transparent.”
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bryan Seeley and David A. Last, of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, and Anthony Saler, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Assistance was provided by former Paralegal Specialist Shanna Hays and Nicole Wattelet, Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence, and former Paralegal Specialist Lenisse Edloe.
14-063Former Teacher Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography and Other ChargesEric Justin Toth Left Washington, D.C. Area Upon Discovery of Crimes; Former FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Was Captured in NicaraguaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eric Justin Toth, 32, a former private school teacher and camp counselor, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison on child pornography and other charges.
Toth left the Washington, D.C. area in 2008, amid an investigation that began with the discovery of pornographic images on a school camera that had been in his possession. After charges were filed against him, he became the subject of an international search and later was placed on the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. He was apprehended in Nicaragua last year and pled guilty in December 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The sentence was announced by Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; John W. Vaudreuil, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin; Robert L. Pitman, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas; Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John S. Leonardo, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona; Andrew M. Luger, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota; John McCarthy, State’s Attorney for Montgomery, County, Md.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the Montgomery County, Md. Police Department.
Toth pled guilty on Dec. 12, 2013, to three counts of production of child pornography and one count each of misuse of a Social Security number and identity theft. He was sentenced by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras, who today accepted a plea agreement signed by the parties.
Following completion of the prison term, Toth will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. Upon his release, Toth also must register as a sex offender, receive sex offender treatment, and observe limits on his use of the Internet and his contacts with minors.
The guilty plea resolved charges and potential charges in several jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, Maryland, Wisconsin, Texas, Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida.
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“For the next 25 years, Eric Toth will be where he deserves to be – in a federal prison where he cannot harm any more children,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Behind bars, Toth will no longer be able to manipulate and sexually exploit our most vulnerable victims. The FBI deserves tremendous credit for tracking Toth to Nicaragua and bringing him to the District of Columbia to face justice. The five-year manhunt that led to his capture demonstrates the depth of our commitment to defending children from sexual predators.”
“Eric Toth spent five years on the run from justice, but today he learned his fate and will spend a substantial time behind bars where he will not be able to harm our children or the community,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “I want to thank the dedicated agents, analysts and prosecutors who spent countless hours vetting tips from the public, chasing leads and eventually tracking down Toth. Their work is representative of the high priority the FBI places on finding those who perpetrate crimes against children.”
“This defendant’s crimes must be answered for,” said State’s Attorney McCarthy. “Thanks to the work of law enforcement forces around the world, Toth will be punished for his reprehensible actions, and his victims will be spared further trauma. Today, justice takes its course.”
“This defendant used his position to exploit vulnerable youth in various communities,” said Chief Lanier. “I am pleased that the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department, along with our local and federal law enforcement partners, led to this fugitive being captured and ultimately sentenced.”
The investigation of Toth began in June 2008 with the discovery of images depicting child pornography on a camera at a private school in the District of Columbia, where he had been teaching. School administrators called the police, and security officers immediately escorted Toth from the school campus. Toth left the area soon thereafter, while the law enforcement investigation was continuing. Federal charges were filed against him in 2008 in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Toth, meanwhile, remained at large, traveling to multiple places.
Toth was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in April 2012 and finally apprehended in Nicaragua in April 2013.
The three child pornography charges included in the guilty plea stem from photographs and videos that Toth took of children while working in 2005 as a camp counselor in northwest Wisconsin; as a teacher in 2006 at the private school in the District of Columbia; and at a private home in Maryland in 2007. These photographs and videos were located on a camera and media card found at the school in June 2008 and on a thumb drive found in Toth’s car when it was located at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in August 2008. Additionally, Toth pled guilty to misuse of a Social Security number for using someone else’s identifying information while working in Texas from 2009 until 2012. The identity theft charge stems from Toth’s use, in Texas, Florida, and elsewhere, of yet another person’s identifying information on a fraudulently obtained passport.
As part of the plea agreement, Toth will not face charges for additional images of child pornography that were found on computers that Toth used. In June 2009, after law enforcement learned that Toth had been living and working at a homeless shelter in Phoenix, authorities discovered a laptop computer that Toth had been using that contained images depicting child pornography. Toth had already left Phoenix at the time of this discovery. In addition, after Toth’s arrest, law enforcement discovered images and videos depicting child pornography on a laptop computer that Toth used when he lived in Texas and Nicaragua.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office; the Metropolitan Police Department; the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department, and other agencies.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassidy Kesler Pinegar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and Assistant State’s Attorney Donna Fenton of the Montgomery County, Md. State’s Attorney’s Office.
Assistance during the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices from the Western District of Wisconsin; the Western District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the District of Arizona, and the District of Minnesota; the Montgomery County, Md. State’s Attorney’s Office; the U.S. Embassy Managua Regional Security Office; the Diplomatic Security Service Criminal Investigative Liaison Branch; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Marshals Service's National Sex Offender Targeting Center; and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - Sex Offender Tracking Team.
The Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) Commissioner's Office, the NNP Trafficking in Persons Unit, and the Nicaraguan Immigration Service performed crucial work in securing Toth’s apprehension.
Those assisting from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia include Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julieanne Himelstein, Catherine K. Connelly, David Johnson and Virginia Cheatham, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Schmidt and Michelle Zamarin. Paralegal Specialist Toni Donato also provided assistance.
14-061Two District Men Sentenced to More Than 20 Years in Prison for Armed Kidnapping and Other Charges in Attack-Defendants Bound Victim and His Friend, Held Them for Hours-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Aaron Thorpe, 33, and Melvin Knight, 36, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to more than two decades in prison on armed kidnapping and other charges stemming from an attack in which they held a man and woman for hours while searching a house for illegal drugs and cash, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
The defendants were found guilty in July 2013, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, of armed kidnapping, armed burglary, a weapons offense, and related charges. They were sentenced by the Honorable Richard J. Leon.
Thorpe was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and Knight was sentenced to more than 22 years of incarceration.
According to the government’s evidence, early Jan. 28, 2013, Thorpe and Knight lay in wait outside the home of the victim, who lived in the 6400 block of Kansas Avenue NW. They were armed with handguns and wearing ski masks and dark clothing. When the victim and his female friend approached the home, Thorpe and Knight emerged from behind a car, forced the victim and his friend against the wall of the home at gunpoint, and handcuffed them.
In the course of trying to handcuff the victim, who was resisting restraint, Knight discharged his firearm. A neighbor, hearing the gunshot, looked out a window and saw three men – the victim, Thorpe, and Knight. The neighbor described Thorpe and Knight as two men in masks and in all black, one with a shirt that had the word “POLICE” written across it. The neighbor saw the men force the victim into his home and clearly saw one of them holding a gun.
After the neighbor’s call to police, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived on the scene and knocked on the door; no one responded. More units responded over the next few hours, including the department’s Emergency Response Team.
Meanwhile, once inside, Thorpe and Knight had forced the victim and his friend to the floor. The two defendants then bound their legs and mouths with duct tape, and began searching through the home for illegal narcotics and cash. They demanded that the victim tell them where to look, and threatened him and his friend, stating, “We’re not leaving any witnesses.”
While lying face down on the floor, fearing for his life and that of his friend, the victim saw one of the defendants’ guns on the floor. He was able to break his hands free and attempted to reach for the gun. At that point, one of the assailants jumped on him, beat him severely in the head and face with another gun, and threatened to kill the victim’s friend if he did not relent. The male victim complied and the two defendants bound his hands with flexi-cuffs again.
The defendants later hid and/or attempted to destroy evidence of their crimes, unbound the victims, and threatened them to tell a false story to police about what had happened inside the home. Finally, at about 3:40 a.m., Thorpe and both victims walked out of the home; police officers then went in and located Knight upstairs. Both defendants were placed under arrest.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the actions of the Metropolitan Police Department officers, detectives, and others who worked on the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle and Debra McPherson, Legal Assistant Tammy Scott, Intelligence Specialists Francis Morgan and Sharon Johnson, and intern Christopher Kaltsas. Finally, he commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emory V. Cole and Brittain Shaw, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
14-060Jeffrey E. Thompson Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate District of Columbia and Federal Campaign Finance and Tax LawsBusinessman Admits Secretly Spending More Than $3.3 Million in Support of at Least Two Dozen CandidatesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Jeffrey E. Thompson pled guilty today to felony charges stemming from a scheme in which he and his companies secretly channeled more than $3.3 million in illegal contributions to at least 28 political candidates and their campaigns, including people running for the offices of President of the United States and Mayor of the District of Columbia.
The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Richard Weber, Chief of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Thompson, 58, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to two conspiracy charges. One is a federal offense: conspiring to violate federal campaign finance laws and to submit false filings to the Internal Revenue Service. The other is a District of Columbia offense: conspiring to violate District of Columbia campaign finance laws by defrauding the District of Columbia’s Office of Campaign Finance.
The guilty plea calls for Thompson to cooperate fully in an ongoing investigation. The plea is contingent upon the approval of the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
In his guilty plea, Thompson admitted, among other things, to secretly channeling more than $668,800 to pay for campaign activities for a person identified in court documents as “Mayoral Candidate A,” a candidate in the 2010 mayoral race in the District of Columbia. He also admitted secretly channeling $608,750 to pay for efforts on behalf of a candidate in the 2008 presidential primary. In addition, he admitted secretly supporting others through illegal corporate contributions, excessive and unreported contributions, and conduit contributions.
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“Election after election, Jeff Thompson huddled behind closed doors with corrupt candidates, political operatives, and businessmen, devising schemes to funnel millions of dollars of corporate money into local and federal elections,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Today's guilty plea pulls back the curtain on years of widespread corruption. With Mr. Thompson's cooperation, we have the opportunity to hold many wrongdoers accountable and to usher in a new era of honesty, integrity, and transparency in D.C. politics.”
“Today, Mr. Thompson took responsibility for organizing a lengthy conspiracy that illegally channeled more than $3 million into federal and local campaigns dating back to the 2006 election cycle,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “The message we are sending today is clear. While the temptation to undermine the election process may be strong, you will not get away with it. Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will be unwavering in combating corruption in the District of Columbia.”
“Jeffrey Thompson engaged in behavior that blatantly ignored and directly circumvented clearly established campaign financing laws, but his egregious behavior did not stop there. Thompson then directed TCBA, a company under his control, to file false corporate income tax returns and submit false documents to the IRS to cover his misdeeds” said IRS-CI Chief Weber. “Today's actions involving Mr. Thompson serve as a strong reminder of the commitment of IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those attempting to undermine the public's trust.”
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Thompson is the former chairman, chief executive officer, and majority owner of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio and Associates (TCBA), a corporation that provided accounting, management, consulting, and tax services. He also is the former chairman, chief executive officer, and owner of D.C. Healthcare Systems, Inc. (DCHSI), an investment holding and for-profit corporation. In his guilty plea today, he admitted using funds from those corporations to secretly finance campaign contributions and activities from at least 2006 until 2012.
TCBA received millions of dollars under contracts with District of Columbia and federal government entities. DCHSI owned D.C. Chartered Health Plan, Inc. (Chartered), a corporation that contracted with the District of Columbia government to provide managed care services to a substantial number of District of Columbia residents. Chartered’s contract with the District of Columbia, paid primarily by the federal government, totaled about $300 million each year.
Five others have pled guilty since 2012 to charges involving Thompson’s illegal spending. They include Eugenia C. Harris, the owner of two businesses in the District of Columbia; Lee A. Calhoun, an executive for TCBA; Stanley Straughter, the owner of a business based in Philadelphia; Vernon Hawkins, who was a volunteer advisor in 2010 for “Mayoral Candidate A; and Troy White, the owner of a marketing company based in New York.
Two others have pled guilty in a related investigation involving the 2010 mayoral election: Howard L. Brooks and Thomas W. Gore. Both worked on “Mayoral Candidate A’s” campaign.
If accepted by the Court, Thompson’s plea calls for a sentence of up to 18 months in prison on the federal offense and a sentence of up to six months of incarceration for the District of Columbia offense. If the government determines at the time of sentencing that Thompson has complied with his obligations under the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will request that the Court dismiss the federal charge, leaving Thompson subject to up to six months in prison on the District of Columbia offense, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release.
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According to a statement of offense signed by the government as well as the defendant, Thompson and others carried out a scheme to use TCBA and DCHSI to disburse excessive and unreported contributions to pay for campaign services and campaign materials in coordination with and in support of political candidates, such as get-out-the-vote efforts. The nature of these coordinated, or in-kind, contributions, also known as “shadow campaigns,” took several forms, including the distribution and dissemination of campaign materials in support of political candidates and their campaign committees.
Additionally, Thompson solicited individuals, including relatives, friends, employees, independent contractors, and the senior management of TCBA, to make conduit contributions in their names and the names of their relatives to campaign committees for federal and District of Columbia candidates, as well as a political action committee. He assured these individuals that he would arrange to pay for and otherwise reimburse the contributions. Thompson used personal and corporate money to advance funds and reimburse individuals for the political contributions that they made in their names and the names of their relatives.
In some cases, he authorized and directed TCBA to make payments variously designated as salary, bonus payments, advances on bonuses, and consultant fees, all designed to disguise the fact that the funds were actually reimbursements for contributions.
According to the statement of offense, Thompson and others took actions that caused TCBA to file false corporate income tax returns and submit false documents to the IRS. Thompson and a TCBA controller caused TCBA to wrongfully deduct TCBA's reimbursements to conduit contributors on tax returns for the years 2007 through 2010. Also, he and two TCBA officers knowingly executed false promissory notes to conceal TCBA's activities, and caused the false documents to be submitted to the IRS during an audit of the company.
District of Columbia Campaigns:
More than $2.29 millionAccording to the statement of offense, from 2006 until 2011, Thompson secretly provided more than $1.3 million for the off-the-books, or “shadow campaigns,” on behalf of seven candidates seeking office in the District of Columbia. He also secretly spent more than $130,000 for a voter registration drive on behalf of one candidate and agreed to pay another candidate $200,000 - along with other benefits - to withdraw from the 2006 mayoral race.
The largest such shadow campaign financed “Mayoral Candidate A” in the 2010 mayoral election. During the primary election cycle for Mayor of the District of Columbia, from May 2010 through September 2010, Thompson used TCBA and DCHSI to funnel over $668,800 to pay for campaign services and materials in support of a shadow campaign for “Mayoral Candidate A,” who was challenging the incumbent mayor. The money was channeled through Details International, Inc., and Belle International, Inc., companies owned by Eugenia C. Harris.
Most of this money went for a get-out-the-vote effort for the primary. For example, using funds provided by Thompson, and in consultation with Vernon Hawkins, individuals were paid to manage field operations and transportation related to the shadow campaign. Among other things, these individuals worked directly with, shared canvassing information with, shared workspace with, and coordinated operations with employees and agents of the official campaign for “Mayoral Candidate A,” including those managing get-out-the-vote efforts.
The money also paid for expenses such as the hiring of the candidate’s official campaign driver; the leasing of a luxury sport utility vehicle to take the candidate to campaign-related and other events; and the purchase of posters, yard signs, T-shirts, and other campaign materials.
In addition to the 2010 mayoral race, the statement of offense says that Thompson funded shadow campaigns for candidates running in the 2006 mayoral election; the 2007 special election for the Ward 4 seat on the Council of the District of Columbia; the 2008 election for an At-Large seat on the D.C. Council; the 2010 elections for Ward 1 and Ward 6 of the D.C. Council, and the 2011 special election for an At-Large seat on the D.C. Council.
According to the statement of offense, Thompson secretly spent about $278,000 for a shadow campaign for a person described as “Mayoral Candidate B,” a candidate in the 2006 mayoral primary. In that same race, according to the statement of offense, Thompson agreed to pay a competing candidate $200,000 to drop out and endorse “Mayoral Candidate B.” Thompson also entered into a $150,000 consulting agreement with the competing candidate on behalf of TCBA.
Also, between 2006 and 2011, Thompson utilized at least 75 conduits to make contributions to at least 15 mayoral and D.C. Council candidates in excess of $500,000.
Federal Campaigns:
More than $1 millionFrom February 2008 through May 2008, according to the statement of offense, Thompson used TCBA and DCHSI to funnel, through Harris’s Belle International, about $608,750 to fund a shadow campaign for a candidate running for President of the United States.
The money was used for, among other things, the hiring of a marketing services company owned by Troy White, as well as for street teams and canvassers who supplemented the campaign’s official activities in Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina and Puerto Rico.
The services included assembling and organizing paid street teams and canvassers to disseminate and distribute campaign materials prepared by the presidential campaign, including posters, lawn signs, pamphlets and stickers. The agreed-upon goal of these efforts was to raise the campaign’s visibility during the 2008 presidential primary election cycle.
Thompson also secretly provided $50,000 to help a civic organization pay for a lawsuit in Texas challenging the two-step voting process in that state, in which voters were allowed to vote twice, once in a primary and once in a caucus. He also provided $150,000 for a political demonstration organized by the civic organization in Washington, D.C. The funds for the lawsuit and the demonstration were to assist the campaign of the preferred presidential candidate.
However, there is no indication that the presidential candidate was personally aware of Thompson’s illicit activities.
Also, between 2006 and 2012, Thompson utilized at least 32 conduits to make contributions to at least 13 federal candidates and a political action committee of at least $250,000.
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In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave and Chief Weber commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and IRS-CI.
They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael K. Atkinson, Loyaan A. Egal, Ellen Chubin Epstein, Lionel André, Jonathan P. Hooks, Ephraim “Fry” Wernick and Ted Radway, of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, who are prosecuting the case.
Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of others who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Deborah Connor, Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan W. Haray and Mary Chris Dobbie, as well as Criminal Investigators Matthew J. Kutz, Mark Crawford, Melissa Matthews, and Durand Odom; Forensic Accountants Crystal Boodoo and Maria Boodoo; Paralegal Specialists Krishawn Graham, Tasha Harris, Shanna Hays, Corrine Kleinman, and Nicole Wattelet; and Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence.
14-059Former Police Officer Sentenced for Unlawfully Disclosing Information in Narcotics Investigation-Admits Alerting Two People to Wiretaps-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Vanessa Edwards-Hamm, a former officer with the Prince George’s County Police Department, was sentenced today to 30 months of probation, including four months to be spent in home confinement, for unlawfully disclosing information about a wiretap being used on a target of a law enforcement investigation.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Edwards-Hamm, 38, pled guilty in December 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of making an unlawful disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications. She was sentenced by the Honorable Chief Judge Richard W. Roberts. While on probation, Edwards-Hamm must complete 100 hours of community service.
As a condition of the plea, Edwards-Hamm has resigned from the Prince George’s County Police Department. She had been a member of the department since 2004. At the sentencing today, Chief Judge Roberts barred Edwards-Hamm from seeking or obtaining employment as a law enforcement officer during her period of probation.
Edwards-Hamm was among 17 people indicted in July 2013 on federal charges in connection with an investigation into a network that allegedly distributed heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and prescription pills in the Washington, D.C. area. She was indicted on one count each of tampering with documents or proceedings and unlawful notice of electronic surveillance. The other 16 defendants were charged with taking part in a drug conspiracy.
According to the government’s evidence, Edwards-Hamm received information on Feb. 22, 2013, that Aaron Vaughn, the brother of one of her close friends, was under investigation for illegal drug trafficking. She also learned that federal agents had a wiretap on Vaughn’s telephone number and that they previously had wiretaps on other numbers associated with him. Finally, she learned that agents felt they had collected enough evidence for an indictment against Vaughn.
In her guilty plea, Edwards-Hamm acknowledged that she called Aaron Vaughn’s brother on Feb. 22 or Feb. 23, 2013; at the time, Vaughn’s brother was serving a prison sentence. She acknowledged that she talked to him in a way that informed him that his brother, Aaron Vaughn, was under investigation; that law enforcement had a wiretap on Aaron Vaughn’s telephone, and that it was too late to help Aaron Vaughn avoid arrest. Furthermore, she acknowledged informing her own brother, Mark Edwards, that law enforcement was listening to Aaron Vaughn’s telephone conversations and that he should be careful and stay away from him. At that point, Mark Edwards also was a target of the drug investigation.
She acknowledged these actions were conducted with the intent to interfere or impede with the FBI investigation. At the time of this conduct, Edwards-Hamm was serving as a task force officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Maryland.
According to the government’s evidence, Aaron Vaughn got a call from his brother on Feb. 26, 2013 and was told to stop dealing with those he was involved with and to change his telephone number. Aaron Vaughn’s brother also advised him to consider moving out of the area.
Aaron Vaughn, 36, and Mark Edwards, 40, were among the 16 defendants indicted on federal narcotics charges in July 2013. Vaughn remains a fugitive from justice.
This prosecution grew out of a long-term FBI/MPD alliance called the Safe Streets Task Force that targets violent drug trafficking gangs in the District of Columbia. The Safe Streets Initiative is funded in part by the Baltimore Washington High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area as well as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The initiative involves more than 150 Safe Streets Task Forces across the country that combat street gangs by combining federal, state and local police resources. The task forces, which began in 1992 in Los Angeles and the District of Columbia, address gang activity, including drug-related crimes.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier expressed appreciation for those who pursued the investigation from the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George's County, Md., and Culpeper, Va. police departments, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service and the Charlottesville Resident Agency of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office.
In addition, they acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Teesha Tobias and Starla Stolk; Legal Assistant Niya Attucks; Program Specialist Kim Hall, and Legal Assistants Diane Brashears and Jessica Moffatt, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arvind K. Lal, Catherine K. Connelly and Zia Faruqui, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Finally, they thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth F. Whitted and David B. Kent of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who are prosecuting the case.
14-058Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Securities Fraud, Operated A Ponzi Scheme That Caused About $25 Million in LossesInvestment Scam Ran from 2006 to 2010, Then CollapsedRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Garfield M. Taylor, 55, of Rockville, Md., pled guilty today to a securities fraud charge stemming from operating a Ponzi scheme that resulted in investors losing approximately $25 million that they invested with Taylor and companies he controlled.
The plea was announced by Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Chester A. McPherson, Interim Commissioner of the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking.
Taylor pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to securities fraud. The Honorable Chief Judge Richard W. Roberts scheduled sentencing for July 15, 2014. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Taylor faces a likely range of 151 to 188 months of incarceration, as well as a fine of up to $175,000. Under the plea agreement, he also must pay restitution to the victims of the scheme. The government maintains that these victims’ losses total, at least, $25,123,707. Finally, Taylor is subject to an additional forfeiture money judgment.
In a parallel action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a civil judgment against Taylor for his fraudulent conduct.
“Today Garfield Taylor admitted to orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that left charities and families in our area with $25 million in losses,” said Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney Cohen. “Taylor used smoke-and-mirror tactics to make promises he could never keep and lied to investors about how he was using their money until the whole scam came crashing down. The years in prison he faces are a just punishment given the enormous financial harm his fraud inflicted on the residents of the District of Columbia.”
“By pleading guilty today, Mr. Taylor took responsibility for bilking clients out of more than $25 million by falsely leading them to believe that he was investing their hard-earned money in the way he promised he would,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “There is no safe harbor for criminals who commit securities fraud, and the FBI will continue to work with our federal, state and local partners to eradicate those who threaten the integrity of our financial markets.”
“This significant case involved a serious, complex type of securities fraud that impacted many people’s livelihoods, savings and investments. I applaud the joint efforts by the investigators in our department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI to shut down this scheme that deceived many out of their hard earned money,” said Interim Commissioner McPherson. “Today’s plea demonstrates that defrauding investors in the District carries significant consequences.”
According to the government’s evidence, Taylor devised and employed a scheme from in or about September 2006 through in or about September 2010 in which he convinced investors to invest with him by promising them substantial returns on their investment, telling them that he used a sophisticated securities trading strategy that protected against loss, and claiming that he had a proven track record of using this strategy effectively.
During the course of this scheme, however, Taylor never used the trading strategy that he told investors that he would use. With the investments he did make during this period, Taylor either lost money or made minimal profits far below what was needed to pay the amounts he owed. The only way that Taylor was able to pay the substantial interest rates he was paying during this period was to use portions of the principal invested by new investors to pay amounts that were owed to earlier investors.
In one example from the government’s evidence, Taylor, in April 2010, used approximately half of an investor’s $425,000 investment to pay interest and principal that was due to earlier investors, rather than using those funds to invest in securities, as he had promised to do. Taylor paid only a portion of the interest payments he was required to pay the investor, before telling the investor that, because of trading losses, he was unable to make any more interest payments or to return the investor’s principal.
At the time of the scheme’s collapse, Taylor owed investors approximately $25 million just to cover the principal he was contractually required to return to them.
In announcing the plea, Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney Cohen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, and Interim Commissioner McPherson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. They also expressed appreciation to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its significant assistance. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris, L. Lenisse Edloe, and Shanna Hays; Litigation Technology Specialist Joseph Calvarese; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Graves, Lionel André, and Catherine K. Connelly, who investigated and prosecuted the matter; and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bridget Fitzpatrick, who investigated the matter.
14-057District Man Sentenced to 18-Month Prison Term for Tax Fraud Related to Embezzlement from Indonesian Airline- Defendant Admitted Failure to Report over $448,000 in Income -Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Jon C. Cooper, 64, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to an 18-month prison term for one count of tax evasion related to his failure to report over $448,000 in income that he received in 2006.
The sentencing, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Cooper pled guilty to the charge in October 2013. As part of his guilty plea, Cooper admitted that, in December 2006, he and a second defendant, Alan Messner, induced an Indonesian airline company to pay them a $1 million security deposit to lease two aircraft using various false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises – including forged and fraudulent documents. Cooper admitted that, after he received the $1 million security deposit, he transferred $284,500 to Messner in December 2006 and January 2007. Cooper spent the balance of the security deposit for his own personal benefit. Cooper and Messner did not provide the promised aircraft and did not return any funds to the Indonesian airline company.
Cooper admitted that he did not report at least $448,727 of those proceeds on his federal income tax return for 2006. Cooper further admitted that income he failed to report was the proceeds of criminal activity. By under-reporting his income, Cooper claimed a tax refund that year. As a result of Cooper’s tax evasion, Cooper caused a tax loss of at least $140,109 to the United States.
Cooper was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. As part of his guilty plea, Cooper agreed to pay $140,109 owed to the United States. Cooper further agreed to make restitution of $1 million to the victimized Indonesian airline company. Upon completion of his prison term, Judge Jackson ordered that Cooper be placed on three years of supervised release.
In a related case, Messner, 41, of Rolling Meadows, Ill., pled guilty in August 2013 to one count of tax evasion, admitting that he failed to report any portion of the $284,500 that he received on his federal income tax returns, and admitting that the income came from criminal activity. Messner was sentenced by Judge Jackson on Feb. 21, 2014. She sentenced him to a year and a day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered him to pay $62,231 in restitution to the United States.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave, and Special Agent in Charge Kelly expressed appreciation for the work done by those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office the Washington Field Office of the IRS-CI. They also acknowledged the efforts of Trial Attorney Jessica Moran, of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division. Finally, they commended the work of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Krishawn Graham and Donna Galindo, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard DiZinno and Jonathan Hooks, who investigated and indicted the case.
14-056District Woman Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for June 2012 Slaying of Next-Door Neighbor-Victim Was Stabbed in Presence of Her Six-Year-Old Child-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON Cydrisse Alvin, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 35 years in prison on a charge of first-degree murder while armed for the June 2012 stabbing of her next-door neighbor, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Alvin was found guilty by a jury in December 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of her prison term, Alvin will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 4, 2012, at about 9 a.m., Alvin knocked on the door of the victim, 28-year-old Amber Kent, her next-door neighbor and former friend. Ms. Kent answered the door in her pajamas. Within seconds, Alvin entered and stabbed Ms. Kent three times – once in the chest and twice in the back. The murder happened in the presence of Ms. Kent’s daughter, who was six years old at the time. After stabbing Ms. Kent, Alvin quickly fled the scene and was apprehended hours later.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Marian Russell, Fern Rhedrick, Phil Aronson, Ethel Noble, Sharon Newman, and Mia Beamon; Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen; Investigative Analyst Sharon Johnson, and David Foster and Tamara Ince of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Worm, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
14-055District Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for 2011 Attack at Northwest Washington Bus Stop-Defendant Chased After Woman, Brandishing A Butcher Knife-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Malika Fateen, 31, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a five-year prison term for an unprovoked attack in which she went after a woman with a butcher knife at a bus stop, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
Fateen was found guilty by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in November 2013 of charges of assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a dangerous weapon. She was sentenced on Feb. 27, 2014, by the Honorable William M. Jackson. Upon completion of her prison term, Fateen is to be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 17, 2011, at about 7 p.m., Fateen sat down beside the victim, a stranger, on a bench at a bus stop at 14th and Underwood Streets NW. Fateen was dressed in a purple medieval costume, including a cap. The victim had earlier placed a large cardboard box down on the same bench. Fateen verbally threatened the victim and then brandished the large butcher knife, stabbing the box. She then stood up and chased the victim as she ran into the street, with the knife raised above her head and pointed at the woman. The victim flagged down a passing taxicab, and rode to a nearby neighborhood, where she called police.
The case marked Fateen’s third conviction for violent offenses.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case for the Metro Transit Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Paralegal Specialist Todd McClelland, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Rubenstein, who provided assistance at trial. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott E. Ray, who prosecuted the case.
14-054District Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Death of Infant at Northeast Washington ConventAdmits Killing Child Shortly After Giving BirthRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sosefina Amoa, 26, formerly of Samoa, pled guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the death of her infant son, who was born within a week after she moved into a convent in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Amoa pled guilty to the charge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert E. Morin scheduled sentencing for May 23, 2014.
According to a proffer of facts presented at the plea hearing, Amoa arrived in the United States from Samoa on Oct. 5, 2013. She then entered a program to become a member of the Little Sisters of the Poor, an international congregation of Roman Catholic women who provide worldwide service to the elderly poor. She was considered a “Postulant,” a person who wanted to be admitted into a religious order. Amoa moved into the Little Sisters of the Poor’s convent in Northeast Washington, where she was to reside for five months while she received religious classes, learned doctrine, experienced prayer and community life, and cared for residents.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, Amoa asked to be excused from her duties and went to her room. The baby was born in Amoa’s room that morning. Amoa cleaned the room in what authorities determined was an attempt to hide the birth of the child.
The following morning, Oct. 11, 2013, Amoa contacted one of the Sisters and took her to her room, where she showed her the baby. The Sister knew that the infant was dead.
Amoa gave conflicting accounts to the Sisters and police about what happened. Ultimately, on Oct. 16, 2013, she told detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) that, after she gave birth to the child, the baby fell to the floor. She said that she got on the floor next to the baby, not knowing what to do, and that she was afraid that someone would hear crying and learn of her pregnancy. According to Amoa, she then placed a wool garment over the baby’s nose and mouth and applied pressure with her hand for two to three minutes.
The District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was asphyxia. The infant was a fully developed, full-term baby, born alive. There was evidence in the lungs that the baby had cried and had been alive before being asphyxiated. Additionally, there was bruising and scratches to the infant’s nostrils.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences for assistance in the investigation. Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney, Victim/Witness Advocates Marcia Rinker and Lorraine Chase, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who is prosecuting the case.
14-053District Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Two Carjackings and Other Crimes-Defendant Attacked A Total of Six Victims; Two Were Pistol-Whipped-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Tavon Johnson, 24, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 50 years on armed carjacking and armed robbery charges involving multiple incidents spread over two separate days, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Johnson was found guilty by a jury in November 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, of two counts of armed carjacking, one count of assault with intent to rob while armed, four counts of armed robbery, one count of aggravated assault while armed and related additional offenses. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert I. Richter.
According to the government’s evidence, the series of crimes began at about 6:30 p.m. on Feb 26, 2013, when Johnson targeted a young woman parking her car in the 100 block of W Street NW. Wearing a mask, Johnson approached the woman, brandished a firearm, and demanded her car.
Johnson then used the victim’s car as he continued to commit other crimes that night. With the help of an accomplice, and while still masked, Johnson attempted to steal property from a man at about 9 p.m. in the 1700 block of 29th Street SE. In the course of that crime, the victim was pistol-whipped by Johnson and his accomplice before breaking free. Johnson and his accomplice then robbed two people at about 10 p.m. in the 4900 block of Jay Street NE.
Johnson continued his crime spree at about 3 p.m. on March 2, 2013 when he and an accomplice, again wearing masks, targeted two young men packing up a pick-up truck in the 5100 block of Hunt Street NE. When the owner of the truck resisted giving his keys to Johnson and his accomplice, they pistol-whipped the victim, causing him to fall unconscious to the ground. Before leaving the scene in the victim’s truck, Johnson and his accomplice took the victim’s cell phone, while he lay unconscious on the ground. They also took property from the other victim who just witnessed his friend fall to the ground.
Members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) spotted Johnson driving the stolen truck at about 8 that night. Johnson was arrested after he led the police on a high-speed car chase through multiple neighborhoods throughout the city.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kalisha Johnson-Clark, Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Crystal Flournoy and Clayton O’Connor, who investigated and tried the case.
14-052Two Florida Businessmen Indicted on Federal Charges of Conspiring to Defraud InvestorsOver 100 Investors Lost More Than $11 Million in SchemeRead the Press Release
ORLANDO, FLA. – Donovan G. Davis, Jr., and Blayne S. Davis, both 32, have been indicted on federal charges in a Florida-based investment fraud scheme that led to more than $11 million in losses for over 100 investors, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and James D. Robnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Field Office of IRS- Criminal Investigation announced today.
The indictments, returned on Feb. 26, 2014 by a grand jury in the Middle District of Florida, charge the defendants with one count of conspiracy, five counts of mail fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, and eight counts of money laundering. Donovan Davis, Jr. also is charged individually with five counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. The indictment includes a forfeiture allegation seeking a money judgment representing the defendants’ proceeds from the scheme. The defendants are not related.
A third defendant, Damien L. Bromfield, 37, of Ocoee, Fla., pled guilty on Nov. 14, 2013, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is awaiting sentencing. Under his plea agreement, Bromfield must pay between $6,752,000 and $8,541,102 in restitution.
According to the indictment, Blayne Davis, of Naples, Fla., was the director of trading for Capital Blu Management, LLC, a Florida-based corporation that purported to offer investment and managed account services for investors in the off-exchange foreign currency, or “forex,” marketplace. Donovan Davis, Jr., of Palm Bay, Fla., was the managing member of Capital Blu, and Bromfield was the director of operations.
“These Florida men have been charged with lying to investors while gambling away $11 million of their victims’ hard-earned savings,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “According to the indictment, these businessmen had been deceiving investors into believing that their money was growing, when in fact their life savings were disappearing. The defendants allegedly took money for themselves and for use of a private plane while they were hiding massive losses from their investors. This indictment signals our commitment to protecting innocent investors from fraud and to pursuing those who undermine confidence in our financial markets.”
“The indictment of these two executives alleges the misuse of their positions of trust within their investment corporation,” said Special Agent in Charge Robnett. “The Special Agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation are committed to unraveling complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes and bringing justice for the investors.”
Blayne Davis and Bromfield formed Capital Blu in January 2007. In 2007, according to the indictment, Donovan Davis, Jr. solicited relatives, friends, and associates to invest in Capital Blu, resulting in substantial amounts being placed under the company’s management. Donovan Davis, Jr., became a managing member of Capital Blu in August 2007, working out of an office in Melbourne, Fla.
In or about September 2007, according to the indictment, the three men formed the CBM FX Fund, LP, which pooled investors’ money into a common fund to be traded by Capital Blu Management. Many of Capital Blu’s managed-account investors transferred their investments into the CBM FX Fund.
By January 2008, according to the indictment, the three partners knew that the CBM FX Fund sustained significant trading losses, resulting in large losses for its investors. At or about that time, the indictment alleges, the men began defrauding investors by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. These included, according to the indictment, a series of misrepresentations about Capital Blu’s trading performance, the value of the fund, and the risks of the fund.
The men allegedly conspired to post positive monthly returns to the CBM FX Fund’s investors from January through August of 2008, even though the fund and its investors had sustained net losses. In addition, the men allegedly diverted investors’ money from the fund to pay for Capital Blu’s operational expenses and personal expenses, including their salaries and payments for the use of a private airplane.
In or about September 2008, the National Futures Association, an independent self-regulatory organization that oversees commodities and futures trading in the United States, conducted a surprise audit of Capital Blu and suspended its operations. As of September 2008, according to the indictment, investors had invested over $16 million into the CBM FX Fund; the investors had lost over $11 million.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case was transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from the Middle District of Florida. The investigation is continuing.
This case is being investigated by a task force consisting of agents from the IRS- Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Brevard County, Fla., Sherriff’s Office. Related civil litigation was pursued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Assistance on the criminal case was provided by Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo and Corinne Kleinman; former Paralegal Specialist Diane Hayes; Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence; Forensic Accountant Crystal Boodoo; Information Technology Specialist Thomas (Ron) Royal; and Victim Witness Advocates Yvonne Bryant and Tasheeka Hawkins, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine K. Connelly and Anthony Saler, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, have assisted with guidance on asset forfeiture matters.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan P. Hooks and Ephraim (Fry) Wernick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, who are designated as Special Attorneys in the Middle District of Florida.
14-048Maryland Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Cocaine-Evidence at Trial Included Nearly 30 Kilograms of Cocaine, Found in A Storage Locker-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gezo G. Edwards, 40, formerly of Silver Spring, Md., was sentenced today to life in prison for conspiring to distribute large quantities of cocaine in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Edwards and two others – William M. Bowman, 35, and Henry B. Williams, 33 - were found guilty of the drug conspiracy charge in November 2012, following a five-week trial in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia. The three defendants were among 14 people indicted in 2011, following one of the largest recent seizures of cocaine in the area.
Bowman, formerly of Bowie, Md., was sentenced in April 2013 to a 45-year prison term. Williams, of Glenn Dale, Md., was sentenced in February 2013 to a 51-month prison term.
The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Edwards this morning. In sentencing the defendant, Judge Kollar-Kotelly cited the seriousness of the offenses, as well as Edwards’s use of a firearm, and his attempted tampering with a juror during the trial. She also ordered that Edwards pay a $3 million forfeiture money judgment and turn over more than $360,000 in cash and bank accounts that were seized as proceeds of the drug conspiracy.
“Gezo Edwards trafficked millions of dollars of cocaine from Los Angeles into local D.C. neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He profited from the addictions that destroy lives and tear apart families. Today he will begin paying the price for the irreparable pain that his drug trafficking caused our community.”
“Today, Gezo Edwards faced the consequences of taking part in a large-scale cocaine trafficking conspiracy,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “This case took out a group that brought more than $3 million worth of cocaine into the District of Columbia and Maryland, and demonstrates the FBI’s continued dedication to large-scale investigations that target traffickers in the drug supply chain.”
“The defendants in this case were major traffickers of narcotics to the D.C. Metropolitan area,” said Chief Lanier. “Through the coordinated efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics and Special Investigations Division, along with our FBI partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we have reduced the availability of drugs in this region and taken criminals off our streets.”
The indictments in the case, returned in April 2011, followed a 15-month investigation by the FBI and MPD into people suspected of acting as wholesale distributors of cocaine in the metropolitan area. The investigation determined that from January 2009 through April 2011, the defendants and others maintained a drug trafficking organization that supplied distribution amounts of cocaine and crack cocaine to dealers in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
The investigation revealed that Edwards and Bowman obtained large quantities of cocaine from sources in the Los Angeles area, which they transported back to the Washington, D.C. area for redistribution to wholesale traffickers, including Williams.
In April 2011, investigators learned that members of the defendants’ organization had arranged for a large shipment of cocaine to the area, and that they were storing it in a storage facility in Hyattsville, Md. After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement searched the locker and recovered 29.5 kilograms of cocaine, nearly two kilograms of crack cocaine, several firearms, including an assault rifle, and packaging material, which included wrappings with cocaine residue that indicated that at least 60 additional kilograms of cocaine had passed through the storage facility and onto the streets of the Metropolitan Washington area. The cocaine had an estimated wholesale value of $1 million and an estimated street value of more than $3 million.
All told, 11 people have pled guilty to charges in the investigation. Edwards, Bowman, and Williams were the only defendants to stand trial.
During the trial, evidence was developed that Edwards was engaging in unauthorized and improper communications with a juror in attempt to influence the juror’s deliberations. As a result, the judge today imposed a sentencing enhancement on Edwards for obstruction of justice.
The prosecution grew out of the efforts of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a multi-agency team that conducts comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the nationwide program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, and Chief Lanier commended the work of the FBI and MPD members of the task force who investigated the case. They also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the FBI’s Baltimore Division, and the Prince George’s County and Montgomery County police departments, which provided assistance. They cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists Jeanette Litz, Regan Gibson, and Starla Stolk; former Paralegal Specialist Jeremy Stoller; and Litigation Support Specialist Ron Royal.
Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Debra Long-Doyle and Steven B. Wasserman of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, and Zia M. Faruqui, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, who prosecuted the case.
14-049Former Office Manager Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Embezzling More Than $400,000 from Law Firm-Defendant Handled Payroll and Accounts Payable for Firm-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bernard Chung, 31, of Falls Church, Va., was sentenced today to a 37-month prison term for embezzling more than $400,000 from a law firm where he worked as an office manager, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Chung pled guilty to a charge of wire fraud in October 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan. Upon completion of his prison term, Chung will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay $407,062 in restitution and the same amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
According to the government’s evidence, Chung worked from 2009 until August 2012 as the office manager for North Star Intellectual Property Law, LLC, a law firm that is based in downtown Washington, D.C. His duties included setting up the firm’s computer systems and network, creating a paperless environment, payroll, and bill payments.
Beginning in February 2010, and continuing until July 2012, Chung devised a scheme to defraud the firm, ultimately embezzling $407,062. He generated the money by issuing excessive salary payments to himself, inflating his regular paychecks, and other means. He was able to hide his activities in large part because his employment position authorized him to handle the payroll and accounts payable, creating a mechanism that he could exploit for his own financial benefit.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge Parlave commended the work of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Donna Galindo. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Schornstein, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ephraim (Fry) Wernick, who prosecuted the case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who assisted with asset forfeiture issues.
14-050District Man Found Guilty of Murder Charges in 2008 Shooting That Killed Two People-Targeted One Victim in Dispute; Other Was Innocent Bystander-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Arvel Crawford, 23, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and related weapons charges for the slayings of two people in 2008, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
Crawford was found guilty of the charges on Feb. 24, 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Jennifer Anderson scheduled sentencing for May 16, 2014. Crawford faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
At trial, the government’s evidence established that on Aug. 14, 2008, at about 10 a.m., Crawford snuck up on Johnquan Wright, 18, in front of a building in the unit block of K Street NW and shot him multiple times in the back. One of the shots went through Mr. Wright and hit Nolan Cooper, 61, an innocent bystander. In the months preceding the murders, a dispute had arisen between two groups of young men in the Sursum Corda neighborhood, leading to multiple homicides. Crawford and Mr. Wright were on opposite sides of this dispute.
In a separate case, Crawford is serving an 18-year prison sentence for killing his father on Dec. 1, 2009 in a robbery conspiracy gone awry.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives, officers, and evidence technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Meridith McGarrity and Kwasi Fields; Victim/Witness Advocate Tamara Ince; Intelligence Specialist Zachary McMenamin, and Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Paul Howell.
Finally, he acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Bach, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Magdalena Acevedo and Glenn Kirschner, who prosecuted the case at trial.
14-051Maryland Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Traveling to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with A Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Thomas DeGrange, 28, formerly of Frederick, Md., was sentenced today to 57 months in prison on federal charges of traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
DeGrange pled guilty in November 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Beryl A. Howell. Upon completion of his prison term, DeGrange will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.
According to the government's evidence, on May 3, 2013, DeGrange began a series of online communications with a man who he believed had a sexual interest in children. The man was actually an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, posing as the father of an under-aged girl. Over the next several days, DeGrange expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with the undercover officer’s purported daughter. DeGrange also sent the undercover officer several images depicting child pornography. On May 7, 2013, DeGrange traveled from Maryland to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C., for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with the girl. When he arrived, he was arrested.
A search by law enforcement of the defendant’s home led to the discovery of a computer containing two videos depicting child pornography, 23 images depicting child pornography and other evidence of child pornography.
The defendant’s plea agreement resolved other potential federal charges in the District of Columbia and the District of Maryland.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agent of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassidy Kesler Pinegar, who prosecuted the case.
14-047Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling into the District of Columbia to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with A Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Chad Pyles, 22, of Arlington, Va., has pled guilty to federal charges of traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Pyles pled guilty on Feb. 20, 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Richard J. Leon is to sentence him on May 16, 2014. Pyles faces a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment for traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct and a maximum of 20 years for possession of child pornography, as well as potential fines.
According to the government's evidence, on Aug. 7, 2013, Pyles contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, who had posted an ad on a social network site. Over the next few days, Pyles engaged in e-mail and text message conversations with the undercover officer, whom he believed was the father of an under-aged girl. Pyles arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with that child.
During their communications, Pyles also sent the undercover officer five images of child pornography. On Sept. 10, 2013, Pyles traveled from Virginia to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C. When he arrived at the meeting place, he was arrested. Pursuant to a search of Pyles’s computer, law enforcement recovered several videos of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who is prosecuting the case.
14-043Maryland Man Sentenced to 49 Years in Prison for First-Degree Murder While Armed in 2012 Shooting in Southeast Washington-Victim and Defendant Were Close Family Friends-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Grant Johnson, 39, of Bladensburg, Md., was sentenced today to 49 years in prison on charges of first-degree premeditated murder while armed and other offenses for the May 2012 slaying of a Maryland man, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Johnson was found guilty by a jury in October 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the first-degree murder charge, the jury found Johnson guilty of second-degree murder while armed, armed robbery, and several firearms offenses. Johnson was sentenced by the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr. Upon completion of his prison term, Johnson will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, the victim, Ricardo Lancaster, 32, drove his company truck to the 800 block of Burns Street SE on May 30, 2012. He arrived at 11:22 p.m. with several hundred dollars to purchase a quantity of marijuana from Johnson. Johnson and Mr. Lancaster were old family friends, having grown up together in the 700 block of Adrian Street SE. Since childhood, Johnson was widely known as the best friend of Mr. Lancaster’s brother.
Sitting in the passenger seat of Mr. Lancaster’s company truck, Johnson shot Mr. Lancaster once in the right cheek at close range. He then went to the driver’s side of the vehicle, where Mr. Lancaster was still seated, and through the open window, shot him, again at close range, in the neck. Mr. Lancaster was found dead the next morning, still seated in the driver’s seat of his company vehicle on Burns Street. His personal cell phone was missing and he had $3 on his person. No marijuana was in the car. Hours after the murder, Johnson provided his girlfriend with several hundred dollars in cash for his share of the rent.
When asked by his best friend – Mr. Lancaster’s brother – whether he had seen or spoken to Mr. Lancaster prior to the murder, Johnson lied, claiming that he had not. The government’s evidence included cell phone records that showed that Mr. Lancaster and Johnson were in repeated contact the night of the murder, and Johnson’s DNA was found on a Doritos bag discarded on the passenger side floor of Mr. Lancaster’s company vehicle.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. He commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Marian Russell, Sandra Lane, Kendra Johnson, and Fern Rhedrick; Lead Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Victim/Witness Advocates Marcia Rinker and Jennifer Clark; Victim Witness Security Specialist Katina Adams-Washington; Former Intelligence Specialist Lawrence Grasso and Intelligence Specialist Zachary McMenamin, and Litigation Technology Specialist Thomas “Ron” Royal. Finally, he recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberley Nielsen and Robert Feitel, who investigated the case and prosecuted the case at trial.
14-046District Woman Sentenced to Three-Year Prison Term for Involuntary Manslaughter in Traffic Fatality-Impaired Driver Lost Control of Car, Leading to Passenger’s Death-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Corrine M. Johnson, 27, of Washington, D.C, was sentenced today to three years in prison on charges of involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol stemming from a traffic fatality that took place in 2012 in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Johnson pled guilty to the charges in November 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin. Upon completion of her prison term, Johnson will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 1:35 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, Johnson was driving her Hyundai Accent at a high rate of speed southwest bound on Division Avenue NE. The victim, Cierra Wilson, 25, was Johnson’s front seat passenger.
Witnesses saw Johnson driving at approximately twice the speed limit in the residential area, and failing to stop at the stop sign controlling the intersection of Division Avenue and Blaine Street NE. After running that stop sign, Johnson continued along Division Avenue and failed to stop at the stop sign controlling the next intersection at Division Avenue and Ames Street. As she ran the stop sign at that intersection, Johnson lost control of her car and crashed, wedging her car between a lamp post and the retaining wall of the corner house at the intersection. The crash instantly killed Ms. Wilson.
Almost immediately, area residents arrived on the scene and saw that the car was on fire. A resident put out the fire with a kitchen fire extinguisher. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who were patrolling the area, were flagged down and immediately came to the scene. They found that Ms. Wilson, the front seat passenger, appeared to be already dead, and Johnson, still in the driver’s seat, was badly injured. Johnson was taken to a hospital and treated for her injuries. While at the hospital, Johnson’s blood was drawn and later analyzed to determine that her blood alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit.
Crash analysis conducted by detectives from the MPD’s Major Crash Investigations Unit determined that Johnson’s Hyundai did not experience any mechanical malfunction, and that Johnson did not apply her brakes to avoid the crash. Further, the crash reconstruction evidence indicated that when she struck the retaining wall, killing Ms. Wilson, Johnson was travelling at approximately 55 mph in the 25 mph zone. Also, an opened bottle of vodka was found on the floorboard of the car.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department, including members of the Major Crash Investigations Unit and the Sixth District. He also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Sandra Lane and Phil Aronson, and Victim/Witness Program Specialist Tamara Ince.
Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the matter.
14-045District Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Beating Man to Death with BarbellAttack Took Place on Weekend Afternoon, on Busy Public SidewalkRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jeffrey Mills, 52, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for beating a man to death with a barbell in an attack in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Mills was found guilty by a jury in November 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of charges of voluntary manslaughter while armed and carrying a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced by the Honorable John Ramsey Johnson. Mills was sentenced to 18 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter while armed and three years for carrying a dangerous weapon. The sentences will run concurrent to one another. Upon completion of his prison term, Mills will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, the victim, Juan Antonio Paredes, 45, was with several friends on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 on the Park Road sidewalk near the intersection with 14th Street NW. Mills, a local street vendor who would often park his van on Park Road and sell wares from a table he set up on the sidewalk, was also out that afternoon.
For no discernible reason, at about 1:55 p.m., Mills grabbed a long, 15-pound barbell that he often used to lift weights during the day. He then rushed at Mr. Paredes, striking him broadside in the back and then again in the back of the head, as if he was swinging a baseball bat. Before the attack, Mr. Paredes was talking with friends and had his back to the defendant.
Mr. Paredes, who did not see the attack coming, crumbled and fell against a cement bike rack and then to the ground. As he lay defenseless on his back, Mills stood over him and continued to jab him in the chest and abdomen with the end of the barbell. He also kicked him about the body. Witnesses described how the defendant struck Mr. Paredes about the body five to 10 times while Mr. Paredes was on the ground. At the time of the offense, Mills repeatedly yelled that Mr. Paredes had attacked him with a knife. However, as multiple witnesses testified during trial, Mr. Paredes was not threatening Mills in any way before he was attacked.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the officers, detectives, mobile crime lab technicians, and other personnel who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and other agencies. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Intelligence Specialist Zachary McMenamin; Information Technology Specialists Jeanie Latimore-Brown and Thomas “Ron” Royal; Supervisory Information Technology Specialist Joe Calvarese; Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Principe; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster, and Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews Yette. Finally, he thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin O. Lyons, who prosecuted the case.
14-044More Than 20 People Arrested Following Investigations into Widespread Health Care Fraud in D.C. Medicaid ProgramCharges Unsealed in Largest Health Care Fraud Takedown in D.C. HistoryRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - More than 20 people, including operators of home care agencies and nurse staffing agencies, office workers, and personal care assistants, were arrested today following investigations into fraudulent billing practices in the home health care industry.
The arrests -- marking the largest health care fraud takedown in the history of the District of Columbia -- followed a multi-year effort by federal and local law enforcement agencies to target widespread fraud in the District of Columbia Medicaid program. More than 200 law enforcement agents fanned out across the region early today to make arrests, execute search warrants at 10 locations, and seize dozens of bank accounts and property.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Nicholas DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.; Kathy A. Michalko, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service; Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Charles J. Willoughby, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.
The investigation uncovered numerous, separate schemes involving fraud, kickbacks, and false billings in the growing field of home care services for D.C. Medicaid patients. Medicaid provides for such services to be performed by personal care aides, working for home care agencies. The aides assist Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, keeping track of medication, and so forth. In order to be covered for such benefits, the beneficiaries must get a doctor’s prescription.
In one alleged scheme, the owner of three home care agencies, who was barred from participating in federal health care programs after her nursing license was revoked, is accused of collecting more than $75 million through the District of Columbia and Maryland Medicaid programs. In other alleged schemes, individuals are accused of recruiting and teaming up with Medicaid beneficiaries, who faked or exaggerated symptoms so they could sign up for home health care and then received cash payments of approximately $200 every two weeks to sign timesheets falsely stating that they received home care services when they did not. Bills were submitted on behalf of these individuals for services that never were provided, costing D.C. Medicaid hundreds of thousands of dollars. Finally, one scheme involves a woman accused of selling counterfeit home health care aide certificates.
“This investigation has revealed that Medicaid fraud in the District of Columbia is at epidemic levels,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “This fraud diverts precious taxpayer dollars, drives up the cost of health care, and jeopardizes the strength of a program that serves the most vulnerable members of our society. However, as today’s arrests, searches, and seizures demonstrate, we are aggressively fighting back to protect the U.S. taxpayer and the integrity of our federal health care programs.”
“Medicaid fraud rings are criminal enterprises that threaten our health care system and our public safety, and they will not be tolerated,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Today’s arrests are part of a well-coordinated action with our law enforcement partners that puts criminals on notice that we are actively working to identify, arrest and prosecute anyone who participates in defrauding government programs designed to assist truly deserving patients.”
“Criminal organizations that steal from the District of Columbia Medicaid program are robbing the bank of health care money and cheating honest citizens of resources needed for their care,” said Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio. “We will work tenaciously with our law enforcement partners to fully investigate these disturbing allegations.”
“While it cannot be overly emphasized that this is an announcement of the charging of individuals for alleged criminal conduct with respect to the Medicaid program, the bringing of the charges demonstrates how the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General continues to work with its law enforcement partners and District agencies to safeguard the District’s residents and treasury, collaborations that I continue to be proud of,” said Inspector General Willoughby.
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The various investigations were conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Secret Service; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Office of Inspector General, Department of Labor; the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. Assistance was provided by the District of Columbia’s Department of Health Care Finance and other agencies.
Twelve defendants were named in a total of five indictments that were unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Each of the indictments includes a forfeiture allegation seeking a money judgment representing the proceeds of the alleged scheme.
An additional 13 defendants were charged in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia with first-degree fraud.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
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The following charges were unsealed today:
- United States v. Florence Bikundi
Bikundi, the owner of three home care agencies, is charged in a federal indictment with health care fraud, Medicaid fraud, and other charges in a scheme to secure more than $75 million in D.C. Medicaid payments, even though she was barred from participating in any federal health care programs. The charges include multiple counts of money laundering for the manner in which she allegedly conducted financial transactions to conceal the nature, source, and location of her illegal proceeds.
Bikundi 51, also known as Florence Ngwe and Florence Igwacho, of Bowie, Md., owns two entities named Global Healthcare, Inc., and one named Flo-Diamond Inc. In April 2000, according to the indictment, HHS-OIG notified Bikundi in writing that she was excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and all federal health care programs. This notice was based on the revocation the previous year of Bikundi’s nursing license in Virginia. The exclusion was issued against Bikundi under her name of Florence Igwacho.
Bikundi subsequently concealed her past when she secured Medicaid provider numbers for her businesses using the name of Florence Bikundi, the indictment alleges. She also did not disclose that her nursing licenses were revoked in Virginia, South Carolina and the District of Columbia, the indictment alleges.
In violation of the terms of her exclusion, between July 2007 and the present, according to the indictment, Bikundi’s entities received more than $78 million in payments from Medicaid; of this, $75 million came from the District of Columbia program and the rest from Maryland.
-United States v. Arrey Kingsly Etchi-Banyi, et al
Five individuals, including the owner of a nurse staffing agency, are charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and other charges in a scheme that allegedly defrauded D.C. Medicaid out of more than $498,000.
Etchi-Banyi, 30, of College Park, Md., owns Ultimate Goal Home Care Agency, Inc., a nurse staffing agency based in Maryland. Ultimate Goal Home Care Agency contracted with home care agencies to provide personal care aides. He is accused of conspiring with four named defendants to get Medicaid payments for personal care services that never were provided.
According to the indictment, from February 2012 to October 2013, Etchi-Banyi and others recruited at least 19 D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries to sign up for personal care and other services that they actually would not receive. The beneficiaries were paid kickbacks to sign up, the indictment alleges, and coached by Etchi-Banyi on what to tell doctors in order to justify their entitlement for personal home care.
The defendants then allegedly paid additional kickbacks to the beneficiaries to prepare false timesheets for home care services that were not provided. These timesheets were used to bill D.C. Medicaid at least $498,000 for services not provided, the indictment alleges.
In addition to Etchi-Banyi, those indicted include three purported personal care aides who worked for Utlimate Care: Oyebola Hammed Babarinde, 25, of Forestville, Md.; Oluwatoyin Bakare, 25, of Laurel, Md., and Cecilia Acquah, 32, of Silver Spring, Md., who also was the office manager. Also indicted was Oyebisi Zaart Babarinde, 31, of Forestville, Md., the sister of Oyebola Hammed Babarinde; she worked for a home care agency.
-United States v. Felix Aburi Fon, et al
Two individuals, both personal care aides, are charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and other charges in a scheme that allegedly defrauded D.C. Medicaid out of more than $124,000.
Felix Aburi Fon, 41, and his wife, Mirabel Tenjoh Mukum, 32, both of Takoma Park, Md., were personal care aides for Immaculate Health Care Services, a home care agency operating out of the District of Columbia. Mukum also worked for Nursing Unlimited Services, Inc., a home care agency operating out of the District of Columbia.
According to the indictment, from April 2012 through September 2013, Fon and Mukum recruited two D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries into the scheme by offering kickbacks to sign up for personal care services and help submit false timesheets for work that was not performed. Fon and Mukum allegedly carried out this scheme with an unnamed co-conspirator, who worked as a personal care aide for the Vizion One home care agency.
The indictment provides details about $124,000 in allegedly fraudulent claims submitted to D.C. Medicaid and paid to Nursing Unlimited Services, Inc. and Vizion One.
-United States v. Ernest N. Nkongsah, et al
Three individuals, including two personal care aides, are charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud in a scheme that allegedly defrauded D.C. Medicaid out of more than $54,000.
From March 2013 until October 2013, according to the indictment, Ernest N. Nkongsah, 38, of New Carrollton, Md., recruited two people to sign up for personal care and other services that they did not receive; one was an undercover law enforcement agent purporting to be a D.C. Medicaid beneficiary. These people were paid kickbacks to sign up, according to the indictment, and then coached by Nkongsah and co-defendant Elizabeth E. Arung on how to make false representations to doctors and nurses so that they could be made eligible for personal care.
Nkongsah and Arung allegedly worked with co-defendant Emiline Desiree Nkemera Besong to prepare false timesheets. The Medicaid claims were submitted on behalf of Vizion One, a home care agency based in the District of Columbia, even though no services were provided. The indictment provides details about more than $54,000 in fraudulent claims.
Arung, 41, of Silver Spring, Md., was a personal care aide at Vizion One, as was Besong, 35, of Hyattsville, Md.
-United States. v. Adoshia L. Flythe
Flythe, a personal care aide, is charged in a federal indictment with health care fraud and aggravated identity theft for her role in a scheme that involved counterfeit health certificates.
Flythe, 36, of Washington, D.C., worked for a home care agency in the District of Columbia. She is accused of selling counterfeit documents to help enable people to become personal care aides, making them eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.
Flythe allegedly sold packages that included a counterfeit “Home Health Care Aide” certificate from the University of the District of Columbia and a counterfeit “Health Certificate for Staff” that contained the forged name and signature of at least one doctor, to two individuals. The individuals purportedly wanted to apply for employment with a home care agency and to cause Medicaid to be billed for personal care services.
Superior Court Cases
Four separate cases were filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, involving a total of 13 defendants and more than $35,000 in D.C. Medicaid payments.
The cases involve separate schemes in which D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries were induced with kickbacks to participate in home health care frauds. As in some of the federal cases, D.C. Medicaid was billed for services that never were provided.
Those charged with first-degree fraud in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia include: Cedonne Ngwilefem Alemnji, 28, of Hyattsville, Md.; Dennis Allen, 56, of Washington, D.C.; Niba Ayinwingong, 49, of Glenarden, Md.; Etienne Boussougou, 34, of Hyattsville, Md.; Ulric Ayo Boyle, 47, of Silver Spring, Md.; Rose Epse-Acha, 53, of Greenbelt, Md.; Brandon Chenwi Shu Fobeth, 28, of Greenbelt, Md.; Michael Fomundam, 38, of Greenbelt, Md.; Eric Mukala, 47, of Bladensburg, Md.; Michael Nyantakyi, 32, of Lanham, Md.; Eliane Poungoum, 47, of Bladensburg, Md.; Victor Tarkeh, 47, of Bowie, Md., and Paul Tengwei, 31, of Takoma Park, Md.
In addition to the arrests, 55 federal seizure warrants were executed today. The contents of 46 bank accounts associated with Bikundi that contained funds received from D.C. Medicaid were seized, as were the contents of three bank accounts associated with Etchi-Banyi’s alleged fraud. In addition, six vehicles purchased with proceeds from the various schemes were seized. A Cadillac Escalade, a Mercedes Benz, a Porsche Panamera, a Land Rover, a Range Rover, and a BMW were seized from Bikundi, and a Toyota Highlander was seized from Etchi-Banyi.
The indictment against Bikundi also alleges that her residence is subject to forfeiture, as it was purchased with funds she received from D.C. Medicaid.
The FBI has set up a hotline number to report suspected incidents of Medicaid fraud: 855-281-1242. People can also provide information by e-mail to [email protected].
HHS-OIG also has a hotline that can be reached at 800-HHS-TIPS or by visiting the agency’s website at http://oig.hhs.gov/ and clicking on the “Report Fraud” tab.
The cases are being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dangkhoa Nguyen and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Radway, Michael Friedman, and David Johnson, the office’s health care fraud coordinator, all of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.
Assistance was provided by Forensic Accountant Maria Boodoo; Paralegal Specialists Toni Donato, Donna Galindo, Krishawn Graham, Tasha Harris, Shanna Hays, Corinne Kleinman, and Nicole Wattelet; Legal Assistants Angela Lawrence, Jessica McCormick, and Christopher Samson; Litigation Support Specialist Ron Royal; Criminal Investigator Matthew Kutz; Law Clerk Anne Ben-Ami; former Paralegal Specialists Lenisse Edloe and Diane Hayes; and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Saffoe.
14-042Former District of Columbia Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Steal About $800,000 in BenefitsDefendant Created Fake Accounts to Generate Medicaid, Food Stamps, Other Benefits; Her Sister Also Participated in the SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Aretha Holland-Jackson, a former employee of the District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DHS), pled guilty today to carrying out a scheme that defrauded the government of roughly $800,000 in Medicaid, food stamps, and other benefits.
The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Charles J. Willoughby, Inspector General of the District of Columbia.
Holland-Jackson, 45, of Bowie, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Honorable Amy Berman Jackson scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2014. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she faces a likely sentence of 33 months to 41 months in prison, as well as financial penalties. The plea agreement calls for Holland-Jackson to pay $807,789 in restitution to the District of Columbia government. She also will be subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.
Also in court today, Holland-Jackson’s sister, Allison Holland, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for her role in the scheme. Holland, 47, of Cheltenham, Md., faces a likely sentence of 15 to 31 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, as well as financial penalties. She also must pay full restitution as well as a forfeiture money judgment. Allison Holland also is to be sentenced on May 7, 2014.
According to the government’s evidence, from February 2005 until September 2013, Holland-Jackson was employed as a social services representative in DHS’s Office of Medical Assistance. Her duties included processing applications for public assistance. She had access to DHS’s computer system and was able to open cases and activate benefits of Medicaid, food stamps, and Temporary Cash Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). DHS distributed food stamp and TANF benefits through an electronic benefits transfer card (EBT) that was provided to beneficiaries who qualified for assistance. These cards could be used at ATMs.
From February 2011 through September 2013, Holland-Jackson and others, including her sister, participated in a scheme to defraud the benefits programs. Holland-Jackson used fictitious names and Social Security numbers to activate 23 fraudulent cases. She and others, including her sister, then used the benefits cards associated with these fraudulent accounts to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in withdrawals from ATMs. Allison Holland used three of the fraudulent EBTs. Holland-Jackson also activated Medicaid benefits in the 23 fraudulent cases.
All told, according to the court papers, the scheme cost the District of Columbia government at least $783,876: $196,596 in fraudulent food stamp benefits, $233,227 in fraudulent TANF benefits, and $354,053 in fraudulent Medicaid benefits, among other costs.
Holland-Jackson was arrested in September 2013 after a law enforcement investigation.
“As a District of Columbia employee, Aretha Holland-Jackson was supposed to provide benefits to needy families, but instead she used her position of trust to steal more than $800,000 of those benefits to finance her own lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “She used fake names and social security numbers to load up ATM cards with hundreds of thousands of dollars of benefits that she could withdraw in cash. Public assistance fraud diverts resources intended to serve families with real needs. This prosecution shows how committed we are to aggressively pursuing government employees who think they can get away with robbing taxpayers of their hard-earned money.”
“The Office of the Inspector General continues to be proud of its role in collaborating with local entities and our federal partners in rooting out criminal conduct and preventing the misuse of District monies, the latter of which is all the more important during these economic times,” said Inspector General Willoughby.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen and Inspector General Willoughby praised the work of those who investigated the case from the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the District of Columbia Department of Human Services. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Corinne Kleinman and former Paralegal Specialist Diane Hayes. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney David S. Johnson, who is prosecuting the matter, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who is assisting with forfeiture issues.
14-040District Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Teenage Relative-Defendant Snuck into Child’s Bedroom as She Slept Next to Her Sister-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Washington, D.C. man, 54, pled guilty today to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old relative last year at the child’s home in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the victim’s identity, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of attempted second-degree child sexual abuse. He is to be sentenced May 5, 2014 by the Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston. The defendant faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. In addition to prison time, the defendant will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 23, 2013, at about 1 a.m., the 13-year-old victim was asleep in her bedroom next to her sister. The defendant, who was visiting the residence, snuck up the stairs and into the child’s bedroom, where he molested the victim in her bed. After the victim reported the incident to her mother, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) investigation began, leading to the defendant’s arrest on Oct. 29, 2013.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from MPD’s Youth Division. He also praised those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danny Nguyen and Mervin A. Bourne, Jr., who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
14-041District Man Pleads Guilty to the Murder of A Taxi Driver and Felony Assault of Two Police OfficersDefendant Fired at Officers, Forcibly Entered Apartment in Hopes of Evading CaptureRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ercell D. Overton, 32, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to second-degree murder while armed and other charges in the fatal shooting last June of taxicab driver Solomon J. Okoroh and a subsequent shoot-out with police, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
In addition to the murder charge, Overton pled guilty on Feb. 12, 2014 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to two counts of felony assault on a police officer while armed. The Honorable Russell F. Canan scheduled sentencing for April 25, 2014. The plea agreement, contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison sentence of 25 years to 28 years.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 3 a.m. on June 4, 2013, three officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were in a police vehicle and on patrol in the Adams Morgan area of Northwest Washington when they heard the sound of a single gunshot. Moments later, the officers observed a speeding Ford Explorer, “Classic Cab” taxi pass their location. The taxicab headed south in the 2300 block of Ontario Road NW, where it crashed into a parked car. As the taxicab passed by the police vehicle, officers observed a muzzle flash and heard the sound of a second gunshot from inside the passenger compartment of the taxi.
Upon impact, officers observed an unarmed man flee from the rear passenger side of the taxi. Two of the officers exited the police vehicle and apprehended the fleeing man without incident after a brief pursuit by foot.
Overton, on foot, then appeared behind the police vehicle and pointed a pistol toward the third officer, who was at the driver’s wheel. That officer exited the vehicle and took cover. Overton then ran behind the fence line of a house in the 2300 block of Ontario Road NW and discharged his weapon in the direction of two of the three police officers, who returned fire. Overton then forcibly entered a basement apartment on the block in an attempt to evade capture. MPD officers subsequently gained entry into the apartment and apprehended Overton and recovered a semi-automatic pistol in close proximity to Overton.
The taxi driver was later identified as Solomon J. Okoroh, 57, of Glenarden, Md. Mr. Okoroh suffered two fatal gunshot wounds to his back. He was taken to a hospital, where he died about two hours after the shooting. Prior to his death, he provided detectives assigned to the case a physical description of his assailant, which matched that of Overton.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised those who investigated the case for the MPD, including members of the Third District and Homicide Branch. He also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kwasi Fields. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S Attorney George Pace, who is prosecuting the matter.
14-039District Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Distributing Large Quantities of PCP-Arrest Followed Investigation by MPD, ATF-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Donnell Brown, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 70-month prison term for distributing large quantities of Phencyclidine (PCP) in the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.
Brown pled guilty in October 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of unlawful distribution of 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance of PCP. He was sentenced by the Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer. Upon completion of his prison term, Brown will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, in the fall of 2011, investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began an investigation into sales of PCP in the Montana Terrace housing area in Northeast Washington. Law enforcement officers were able to purchase large quantities of liquid PCP from several targets. The investigation showed that Brown sold PCP on eight different occasions, in various amounts, from November 2011 to July 2012.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the actions of all the MPD officers and ATF agents who participated in this arrest and the removal of drugs from the streets of Washington, D.C. He also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle and Legal Assistant Tammy Scott. Finally, he praised the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole who investigated and prosecuted the case.
14-038Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter in Traffic Fatality, Admits Striking Pedestrian in Crosswalk-Driver Was Under Influence of PCP-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Woodrow R. Johnson, Jr, 52, of Capitol Heights, Md., pled guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter stemming from a recent traffic fatality in which he struck a pedestrian while he was on PCP, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Johnson entered the plea in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston scheduled sentencing for May 15, 2014. Under the plea agreement, contingent upon the Court’s approval, Johnson faces seven years in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, at about 6:10 p.m., Johnson drove his employer’s van northbound on Benning Road SE. Johnson drove at a high rate of speed and without using his headlights, although night had fallen. Johnson collided with two other cars, causing damage to those cars and injuries to their occupants, but he did not stop.
Instead, Johnson continued to speed toward the intersection of East Capitol Street. As he approached the intersection, traffic in front of Johnson waited at the red light. Johnson swerved into the opposite lanes of traffic, that is, into the southbound lanes of Benning Road, and ran the red light at East Capitol Street. As he did this, he struck and killed Shamika Smith, 24, who was a pedestrian in a crosswalk of Benning Road, crossing from east to west. Ms. Smith suffered severe blunt impact trauma and was pronounced dead on the scene.
Johnson did not slow or stop to avoid striking Ms. Smith, or after striking her. He continued to speed northbound on Benning Road, colliding with an additional three vehicles, causing damages and injuries to their occupants.
With officers from the Metropolitan Police Department following Johnson, he left the roadway and crashed through the fence of a church’s parking lot, colliding with and damaging the church’s parked van. Officers apprehended Johnson, who was still behind the steering wheel. He was disoriented and appeared to veteran officers to be under the influence of PCP. Johnson was taken to a hospital, where he admitted that he had smoked PCP before driving.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department, including members of the Major Crash Investigations Unit and the Sixth District. He also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Sandra Lane and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who is prosecuting the matter.
14-037Former Employee of Federal Contractor Pleads GuiltyTo Disclosing National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, a former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) employee, pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia in connection with his unauthorized disclosure of national defense information.
At a hearing before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, Kim pleaded guilty to one count of making an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for Kim to be sentenced to 13 months in prison, to be followed by a year of supervised release. If the plea is accepted, Kim is to be sentenced on April 2, 2014.
The guilty plea was announced by Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Kim, 46, worked as an LNLL employee on detail to the State Department’s Bureau of Verification, Compliance and Implementation (VCI) at the time of the disclosure. At the time, Kim worked as a Senior Advisor for Intelligence to the Assistant Secretary of State for VCI. According to court documents, on June 11, 2009, Kim knowingly and willfully disclosed TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION (TS/SCI) national defense information to a reporter.
The information concerned the military capabilities and preparedness of North Korea and was contained in an intelligence report classified at the TS/SCI level that Kim accessed on a classified computer database. Within hours of the disclosure, the news organization published an article on the Internet that included the TS/SCI national defense information that Kim had disclosed.
“Today Stephen Kim admitted to violating his oath to protect our country by disclosing highly classified intelligence about North Korea’s military capabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Stephen Kim admits that he wasn’t a whistleblower. He admits that his actions could put America at risk. Within hours of the dissemination of a top secret intelligence report about North Korea, he exposed its secrets, which were then broadcast to the world. As this prosecution demonstrates, we will not waver in our commitment to pursuing and holding accountable government officials who blatantly disregard their obligations to protect our nation’s most highly guarded secrets.”
“Mr. Kim was entrusted with a Top Secret security clearance, which included a responsibility to protect classified national defense information. Instead, he knowingly disclosed that material to someone not authorized to receive it,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Today, as the result of the hard work of dedicated Special Agents, analysts and prosecutors, Mr. Kim has taken responsibility for his illegal action.”
Kim was indicted in August 2010. According to the court documents that were filed today, Kim admitted that he did not believe that he was exposing government waste, fraud, abuse, or any other kind of government malfeasance or misfeasance. Further, Kim admitted that he had reason to believe that his unauthorized disclosure could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation. Finally, he acknowledged that he was never authorized, directly or indirectly, by the United States Government to communicate any national defense information to the media.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Michael Harvey, Jonathan M. Malis, and Thomas A. Bednar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Deborah A. Curtis and Julie A. Edelstein of the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
14-035District Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Murder of Girlfriend’s Four-Year-Old Son-Defendant Beat Child While Babysitting-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Peter I. Hendy, II, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend’s four-year-old son, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Hendy pled guilty in September 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of his prison term, Hendy will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 5, 2013, Hendy was babysitting his girlfriend’s son, Kamari Zavon Taylor, at an apartment in Northeast Washington while she went to work. Sometime around noon, he called his girlfriend and reported that he had disciplined the boy. He told her that he had given Kamari a “body shot” and that the child’s legs were wobbly.
According to Hendy’s own admissions, he became upset when Kamari disobeyed his restriction about how far he could ride his scooter. According to Hendy, when he admonished the child, Kamari responded that he did not have to listen to him. Hendy admitted to punching Kamari in the mid-section four to five times, including one direct punch to the stomach.
Once back inside, according to Hendy, the child fell to the floor and could not stand. When offered food or water, Kamari declined the food but drank the water. Hendy carried the child to bed and then went outside to sell marijuana.
After an hour, he returned to the apartment. He noted that Kamari had a “blank look” on his face and appeared “spent.” Hendy then went outside again for another hour to sell marijuana. When he returned, Kamari was not breathing. Hendy called 911 at about 2:05 p.m. and reported that his girlfriend’s son was unconscious and not breathing. The 911 operator advised Hendy to give the child cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and he did.
When they arrived, members of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department found Kamari to be unconscious and unresponsive. The child was taken to Children’s National Medical Center and pronounced dead.
The District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner determined that Kamari died from multiple injuries to the torso. The forcefulness of the defendant’s punches caused the child’s liver to lacerate in three places. There was also bruising on his stomach, consistent with multiple fist prints. Finally, Kamari had a couple of broken ribs.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the D.C. Office of the Medical Examiner for its assistance. Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney, Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, Intern Brian Edgerton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who prosecuted the case.
14-036Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling into the District of Columbia to Engage in Illicit Sexual ConductWith A Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Matthew Scanlon, 31, of Pasadena, Md., pled guilty today to charges of traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Scanlon entered the guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Rudolph Contreras is to sentence him on May 21, 2014. Scanlon faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment for traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct and a maximum of 20 years for possession of child pornography, as well as potential fines.
According to the government's evidence, on July 10, 2013, Scanlon contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, who had posted an ad on a social network site. Over the next few days, Scanlon engaged in e-mail and text message conversations with the undercover officer whom the defendant believed was the father of an under-aged girl. During this period of time, Scanlon arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child.
During the course of their communications, Scanlon also sent the undercover officer one still image and two videos of child pornography. On July 16, 2013, Scanlon traveled from Maryland to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C. When he arrived at the meeting place, he was arrested. Pursuant to a search of an external hard drive seized from the defendant’s residence, law enforcement recovered approximately 225 additional images of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 those who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who is prosecuting the case.
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