District of Columbia

     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.                

14-055

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.

14-054

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.

14-053

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. 

14-052

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.

14-048

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.

14-049

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.

14-050

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.

14-051

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.

14-047

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.

14-043

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.

14-046

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.

14-045

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.

14-044

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.

**

     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. 

**

     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.

14-042

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.

14-040

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.

14-041

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. 

14-039

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.

14-038

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.

14-037

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.

14-035

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.

14-036

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.

14-034

WASHINGTON - Troy Shane Young, 41, of Elkview, W. Va., was sentenced today to six years in prison for distribution 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).

     Young pled guilty to the charges in December 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras. Upon completion of his prison term, Young will be placed on 15 years of supervised release.

     According to the government's evidence, on Aug. 24, 2012, Young contacted a man he believed to be the father of an underage girl on a social network site.  That man turned out to be an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force.  Over the next few days, Young engaged in electronic communications with the undercover officer.  During this period of time, Young sent the undercover officer approximately 10 videos and 22 still images of child pornography. Upon execution of a search warrant on Young’s residence, members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force recovered various computers, external storage devices and other electronic equipment containing 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 sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the MPD Detectives and the Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, who investigated the case, and the Special Agents of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, who assisted in the execution of the search warrant. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Johnston and Jennifer Rada, of the Southern District of West Virginia, who assisted in the prosecution. Finally they expressed appreciation to Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who prosecuted the case.

14-032

For Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

     WASHINGTON - Troy Shane Young, 41, of Elkview, W. Va., was sentenced today to six years in prison for distribution 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).

     Young pled guilty to the charges in December 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras. Upon completion of his prison term, Young will be placed on 15 years of supervised release.

     According to the government's evidence, on Aug. 24, 2012, Young contacted a man he believed to be the father of an underage girl on a social network site.  That man turned out to be an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force.  Over the next few days, Young engaged in electronic communications with the undercover officer.  During this period of time, Young sent the undercover officer approximately 10 videos and 22 still images of child pornography. Upon execution of a search warrant on Young’s residence, members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force recovered various computers, external storage devices and other electronic equipment containing 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 sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the MPD Detectives and the Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, who investigated the case, and the Special Agents of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, who assisted in the execution of the search warrant. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Johnston and Jennifer Rada, of the Southern District of West Virginia, who assisted in the prosecution. Finally they expressed appreciation to Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who prosecuted the case.

14-32

WASHINGTON – Paul F. Kaufman, 55, of Stafford, Va., pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from his embezzlement of more than $150,000 from his former employer, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Kaufman pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. He is to be sentenced May 8, 2014 by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Kaufman faces a potential prison term of up to 30 months in prison and financial penalties. As part of his plea agreement, Kaufman has agreed to pay restitution and a forfeiture money judgment.

     According to the government’s evidence, Kaufman oversaw and managed the technology department for a non-profit identified in court documents as “Non-Profit A,” an organization that received federal money. Kaufman was authorized to solicit and approve work from outside vendors and he had the authority to direct the accounting department to pay them. He also had the authority to make business-related charges on certain corporate credit cards.

     Without the knowledge of “Non-Profit A,” Kaufman formed two companies. He then submitted invoices from these companies to the non-profit and authorized payments. All told, Kaufman generated $110,925 from this scheme between January 2004 and March 2012.

     In addition, the government’s evidence showed, Kaufman embezzled at least $46,590 from the non-profit by using its corporate credit cards and accounting department to pay a variety of personal expenses. Among other things, the unauthorized personal charges included expenses for Kaufman’s home cable and Internet service, food, coffee, gas, parking, music downloads, and a personal laptop computer. At one point, in April 2012, a non-profit employee discovered that Kaufman had used a corporate credit card to charge about $288 at a jewelry store. When asked about the charge, Kaufman produced an altered receipt and falsely claimed that the invoice was for repairs to an employee’s iPhone.

     Kaufman was terminated by the non-profit on May 4, 2012. Two days later, he sent an e-mail to the non-profit’s president and chief executive officer, apologizing for his actions and asking that he be allowed to reimburse the organization for the money that he embezzled.

     The amount of restitution and forfeiture will be set by the Court. Kaufman contends that the total loss should be offset by the fair market value of work that he purportedly performed, and that the total he owes should be between $70,001 and $157,516.

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), which investigated 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. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly, who is assisting with forfeiture issues. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ephraim (Fry) Wernick, who is prosecuting the case.

14-033

To Embezzling More Than $150,000 From Non-Profit
Used Money For Laptop, Jewelry, Cable Bills, and Other Personal Expenses

     WASHINGTON – Paul F. Kaufman, 55, of Stafford, Va., pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from his embezzlement of more than $150,000 from his former employer, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Kaufman pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. He is to be sentenced May 8, 2014 by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Kaufman faces a potential prison term of up to 30 months in prison and financial penalties. As part of his plea agreement, Kaufman has agreed to pay restitution and a forfeiture money judgment.

     According to the government’s evidence, Kaufman oversaw and managed the technology department for a non-profit identified in court documents as “Non-Profit A,” an organization that received federal money. Kaufman was authorized to solicit and approve work from outside vendors and he had the authority to direct the accounting department to pay them. He also had the authority to make business-related charges on certain corporate credit cards.

     Without the knowledge of “Non-Profit A,” Kaufman formed two companies. He then submitted invoices from these companies to the non-profit and authorized payments. All told, Kaufman generated $110,925 from this scheme between January 2004 and March 2012.

     In addition, the government’s evidence showed, Kaufman embezzled at least $46,590 from the non-profit by using its corporate credit cards and accounting department to pay a variety of personal expenses. Among other things, the unauthorized personal charges included expenses for Kaufman’s home cable and Internet service, food, coffee, gas, parking, music downloads, and a personal laptop computer. At one point, in April 2012, a non-profit employee discovered that Kaufman had used a corporate credit card to charge about $288 at a jewelry store. When asked about the charge, Kaufman produced an altered receipt and falsely claimed that the invoice was for repairs to an employee’s iPhone.

     Kaufman was terminated by the non-profit on May 4, 2012. Two days later, he sent an e-mail to the non-profit’s president and chief executive officer, apologizing for his actions and asking that he be allowed to reimburse the organization for the money that he embezzled.

     The amount of restitution and forfeiture will be set by the Court. Kaufman contends that the total loss should be offset by the fair market value of work that he purportedly performed, and that the total he owes should be between $70,001 and $157,516.

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), which investigated 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. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly, who is assisting with forfeiture issues. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ephraim (Fry) Wernick, who is prosecuting the case.

14-33

WASHINGTON – Nicholas Hanlon, 28, of Stafford, Va., was sentenced today to eight years in prison on one count of traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of receipt of child pornography.

     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; Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Earl L. Cook, Chief of the Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria, Va.

     Hanlon pled guilty to the charges in November 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Gladys Kessler. Upon completion of his prison term, Hanlon will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.

     According to the government's evidence, on April 25, 2013, a member of the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, a detective from the Alexandria Police Department, was contacted by the parent of an under-aged female who was concerned that the child had been engaged in illicit text message conversations with Hanlon and others.  The task force member, in an undercover capacity, began communicating with Hanlon, who believed the officer was the child.

     Over the next few days, Hanlon engaged in text messaging with the undercover officer.  During this period of time, Hanlon arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child. 

     On April 25, 2013, Hanlon traveled from Virginia to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C.  When he arrived, he was arrested. Subsequent to his arrest, law enforcement searched Hanlon’s computer and cell phone.  Pursuant to that search, law enforcement found evidence that Hanlon had been communicating via text message and email with multiple young girls.  Specifically, law enforcement recovered evidence that Hanlon received explicit videos from a female child from Missouri and from a 15-year-old from Virginia.

     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, Chief Lanier, and Chief Cook praised the work of the MPD and Alexandria Police Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who prosecuted the case.

14-030

WASHINGTON – Scott Lee Feuer, 58, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for robbing two banks in December 2012, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Edwin D. Sloane, U.S. Marshal for the District Court of the District of Columbia.

     Feuer pled guilty to two counts of bank robbery in October 2013 and was sentenced today by the Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $698 in restitution.

     According to a factual proffer of evidence presented at the time of the guilty plea, on the afternoon of Dec. 26, 2012, Feuer entered a SunTrust Bank in the 900 block of 17th Street NW, approached a bank employee, and handed over a note demanding money.  Feuer stole $692 from the bank before fleeing the area. Less than 48 hours later, on the morning of Dec. 28, 2012, Feuer entered a SunTrust Bank in the 1300 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, approached a bank employee, announced a robbery, and demanded money.  Feuer stole $2,350 from the bank.

     Feuer was apprehended by officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) moments later inside the Dupont Circle Metro Station. Some stolen proceeds were recovered.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave, Chief Lanier, and U.S. Marshal Sloane commended the investigative work of the Special Agents from the FBI’s Washington Field Office who worked on the case, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the entire joint FBI/MPD Violent Crimes Task Force.  In addition, they acknowledged the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Legal Assistant Jessica Moffatt, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arvind K. Lal and Catherine K. Connelly, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.  Finally, they thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Kent, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who prosecuted the case.

14-031

For Pair of December 2012 Bank Robberies
- Defendant Robbed Two Banks Within 48 Hours -

     WASHINGTON – Scott Lee Feuer, 58, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for robbing two banks in December 2012, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Edwin D. Sloane, U.S. Marshal for the District Court of the District of Columbia.

     Feuer pled guilty to two counts of bank robbery in October 2013 and was sentenced today by the Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $698 in restitution.

     According to a factual proffer of evidence presented at the time of the guilty plea, on the afternoon of Dec. 26, 2012, Feuer entered a SunTrust Bank in the 900 block of 17th Street NW, approached a bank employee, and handed over a note demanding money.  Feuer stole $692 from the bank before fleeing the area. Less than 48 hours later, on the morning of Dec. 28, 2012, Feuer entered a SunTrust Bank in the 1300 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, approached a bank employee, announced a robbery, and demanded money.  Feuer stole $2,350 from the bank.

     Feuer was apprehended by officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) moments later inside the Dupont Circle Metro Station. Some stolen proceeds were recovered.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave, Chief Lanier, and U.S. Marshal Sloane commended the investigative work of the Special Agents from the FBI’s Washington Field Office who worked on the case, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the entire joint FBI/MPD Violent Crimes Task Force.  In addition, they acknowledged the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Legal Assistant Jessica Moffatt, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arvind K. Lal and Catherine K. Connelly, of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.  Finally, they thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Kent, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who prosecuted the case.

14-31

For Pair of December 2012 Bank Robberies
- Defendant Robbed Two Banks Within 48 Hours -

     WASHINGTON – Nicholas Hanlon, 28, of Stafford, Va., was sentenced today to eight years in prison on one count of traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of receipt of child pornography.

     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; Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Earl L. Cook, Chief of the Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria, Va.

     Hanlon pled guilty to the charges in November 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Gladys Kessler. Upon completion of his prison term, Hanlon will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.

     According to the government's evidence, on April 25, 2013, a member of the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, a detective from the Alexandria Police Department, was contacted by the parent of an under-aged female who was concerned that the child had been engaged in illicit text message conversations with Hanlon and others.  The task force member, in an undercover capacity, began communicating with Hanlon, who believed the officer was the child.

     Over the next few days, Hanlon engaged in text messaging with the undercover officer.  During this period of time, Hanlon arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child. 

     On April 25, 2013, Hanlon traveled from Virginia to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C.  When he arrived, he was arrested. Subsequent to his arrest, law enforcement searched Hanlon’s computer and cell phone.  Pursuant to that search, law enforcement found evidence that Hanlon had been communicating via text message and email with multiple young girls.  Specifically, law enforcement recovered evidence that Hanlon received explicit videos from a female child from Missouri and from a 15-year-old from Virginia.

     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, Chief Lanier, and Chief Cook praised the work of the MPD and Alexandria Police Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who prosecuted the case.

14-30

WASHINGTON – Lamar Brown, 37, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a 16-year prison term for the brutal stabbing of a man in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

     Brown pled guilty in November 2013, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of assault with intent to kill while armed.  He was sentenced on Jan. 31, 2014 by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck, who cited the viciousness of the attack. Upon completion of his prison term, Brown will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, on July 31, 2012, at about 7:55 a.m., Brown stabbed the victim multiple times in the eye, face, neck, body, and hands while inside the victim’s home in Northeast Washington. Brown and the victim had met two or three weeks earlier on a dating chat line. In the time leading to the stabbing, they were in communication via text message and phone conversations.  They also spent one night together prior to the stabbing. During the entirety of Brown’s interactions with the victim, the defendant used a fake name. 

     On the night before the stabbing, Brown went to the victim’s home and spent the night.  Early the following morning, on July 31, 2012, Brown received a phone call. When the phone rang, Brown went into the bathroom.  The victim remained in bed, falling in and out of sleep.  The victim then awoke to the defendant stabbing him in the back of the neck with a knife. The victim rolled over and began struggling. During the struggle, Brown stabbed the victim multiple times in the eye, face, neck, body, and hands.  The victim was able to get away and tried to call the police, but Brown ordered him to put down the phone and threatened to kill him.

     The victim ran out of his apartment and banged on the doors of nearby apartments.  Brown fled the scene and discontinued use of the phone he had used to contact the victim.

     Brown’s use of a false name originally resulted in the wrong man being arrested for this offense.  That man was released once emergency cell phone records obtained by the government exonerated him. Cell phone records and other investigation, meanwhile, led to the identification and arrest of Brown.  Brown had been released from Virginia state prison less than a month before this attack after serving 18 years of incarceration. He was arrested on Aug. 20, 2012. 

     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 as well as the deputy marshals who worked on the case from the U.S. Marshals Service. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Joyce Arthur and Tiffany Jones and Criminal Investigator Nelson Rhone.  Lastly, Mr. Machen thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jodi Lazarus and Michelle Parikh, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

14-029

WASHINGTON – John Cunningham, 26, of Hagerstown, Md., was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for 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). 

     Cunningham pled guilty to the charges 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, Cunningham will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.

     According to the government's evidence, on July 19, 2013, Cunningham 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, Cunningham engaged in online email and text messaging with the undercover officer, whom he believed was the father of an under-aged girl. During this period of time, Cunningham arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child. 

     On July 22, 2013, Cunningham traveled from Maryland to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C.  When he arrived, he was arrested.  Subsequent to his arrest, law enforcement searched Cunningham’s residence and recovered a large collection 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 sentence, 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 prosecuted the case.

14-028

WASHINGTON – Richard Williams, 43, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for the 2010 slaying of an acquaintance along the border of the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, Md., U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Williams, who has no fixed address, was found guilty by a jury in December 2013 of second-degree murder while armed following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the murder charge, Williams was convicted of carrying a dangerous weapon after having been convicted of a felony and committing an offense while on release in a pending criminal case. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin.

     According to the government’s evidence, Williams and the victim, Sean West, 37, knew each other and often spent time together at a gas station in Oxon Hill, Md., just over the border from the District of Columbia. On Aug. 27, 2010, at about 11:30 p.m., they got into an argument and shoving match at the gas station. A mutual acquaintance broke up the fight, and Mr. West walked across the street into the 4300 block of Wheeler Road SE, headed home.

     Williams, however, proceeded to run after Mr. West.  Upon catching up to him, he stabbed Mr. West once in the chest.  Mr. West ran back across the street, into Oxon Hill, and collapsed inside a liquor store.  He died about two hours later.

     Williams fled the scene on foot and was arrested on Oct. 18, 2010.  At the time of the murder, the defendant, a previously convicted felon, had a pending misdemeanor case for which he had been released on bond.  He has been held without bond since his October 2010 arrest.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed appreciation for the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended those who worked on the case from the Prince George’s County, Md., Police Department and the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Litigation Technology Specialist Josh Ellen, Paralegal Specialist Sandra Lane, Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Liebman, who prosecuted the matter.

14-026

WASHINGTON – Shabazz Thompson, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 56 months in prison on charges stemming from two robberies that took place in Northeast Washington within a three-week period last fall, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Thompson pled guilty in December 2013 to robbery and other charges in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert I. Richter. Upon completion of his prison term, Thompson will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, the first attack took place on Sept. 27, 2013 at about 3 p.m. Thompson approached an 81-year-old woman at a check-cashing store in the 600 block of H Street NE. The victim, who suffers from arthritis, had just cashed her retirement check. As she was collecting her belongings, Thompson robbed her of her money, grabbing $789. The victim fell down when she tried to prevent him from escaping.

     The second attack occurred at about 4:20 a.m. on Oct. 17, 2013. The victim, a producer for CNN, was walking to work in the 800 block of First Street NE when Thompson and an unidentified male approached him. Thompson punched the victim in the face, and he and the other male took his belongings, including his wallet, cell phone, and backpack, which contained his laptop. The victim fell to the ground, bleeding profusely; his jaw had been fractured and his sinus was crushed, leading to severe nasal injuries.

     About 25 minutes after the robbery, Thompson used the victim’s credit card at a convenience store. Surveillance video shows him using the card. Thompson was arrested in both cases on Oct. 31, 2013.

     Thompson pled guilty to attempted robbery in the first attack. He pled guilty to charges of robbery and assault with significant bodily injury in the second attack.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), especially the detectives from the First Police District who investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Donville Drummond and Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Petkun, who prosecuted the matter.

14-025

WASHINGTON – Jahlani Brown, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a rental office employee last year at an apartment building in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Brown pled guilty in October 2013, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to first-degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced by the Honorable John Ramsey Johnson. In addition to prison time, Brown will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

     According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 17, 2013, at about 9 a.m., the victim reported to her office in the Shaw area of Northwest Washington and began preparing for her workday.  Brown, who was captured on video surveillance, entered the office and locked the door. He sexually assaulted, threatened, and robbed the victim before leaving the office.

     The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) released surveillance images to the media in hopes of generating information, and neighboring businesses and community members cooperated with law enforcement in getting the word out about the attack. Brown was arrested two days after the assault and has been in custody ever since.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit.  He also praised those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key, Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mervin A. Bourne, Jr., who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

14-027

WASHINGTON - Kaylan Joseph Cureton, 25, of Richmond, Va., was sentenced today to four years 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).

     Cureton pled guilty in August 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert L. Wilkins. Upon completion of his prison term, Cureton will be required to serve six months of home confinement. He also will be placed on 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender for 15 years.

     According to the government's evidence, on May 24, 2012, Cureton contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, who had entered a social network site.  Over the next several days, Cureton engaged in online email, instant message, text message and telephone conversations with the undercover officer, whom Cureton believed was the father of an under-aged child. During this period of time, Cureton arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child.  He traveled from Richmond to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C., where he was arrested.

     Upon execution of a search warrant on Cureton=s residence, members of the FBI=s Child Exploitation Task Force recovered a USB drive containing numerous 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. 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, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, 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 MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.  They also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who prosecuted the case.

14-023

 

WASHINGTON - Oh Sung Kwon, 48, a Northern Virginia businessman, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison on federal charges stemming from a bribery scheme in which he paid thousands of dollars to an Army official in return for government contracts, as well as a separate scheme involving fraudulent real estate sales and refinances.

     Kwon, also known as Thomas Kwon, of Vienna, Va., pled guilty in September 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count each of bribery, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and willful failure to file a tax return. He was sentenced by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Judge Sullivan also ordered Kwon to pay $1,188,500 in restitution and the same amount in a forfeiture money judgment. Upon completion of his prison term, Kwon will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     Kwon was the co-founder and chief executive officer of Avenciatech, Inc., a government contractor based in Annandale, Va. He is among 17 people and one corporation that pled guilty to federal charges for their roles in the largest domestic bribery and bid-rigging scheme in the history of federal contracting. The investigation is continuing.

     The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Peggy E. Gustafson, Inspector General for the Small Business Administration (SBA); Robert E. Craig, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU).

     According to a statement of offense, signed by the government and the defendant, Kwon learned of a contract-steering scheme from two business contacts: Alex N. Cho, who was then the chief technology officer for Nova Datacom, LLC, and a second Nova Datacom employee. This scheme involved contracts and subcontracts awarded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in return for hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to Kerry F. Khan. At the time, Khan was a program manager at the Army Corps of Engineers. 

     Kwon’s role in the scheme involving the Army Corps of Engineers included Kwon arranging for Cho and another Nova Datacom employee to exchange checks for approximately $700,000 in cash, which was paid to Khan in exchange for government contracts.  Kwon later attempted to obstruct the resulting criminal investigation by destroying evidence.  However, he also disclosed to law enforcement authorities the efforts by Cho and another Nova Datacom employee to obstruct the criminal investigation, including Cho’s attempts while wearing a recording device to prevent Kwon from making incriminating statements.

     Kwon learned of a second, similar scheme involving another business contact: Nick Park, a former Nova Datacom employee who was then the president of Unisource Enterprise Inc. Kwon learned through Park that he had obtained a subcontract for his company by agreeing to pay bribes to a person identified in court documents as “Public Official C.” This official, based at the time in Seoul, South Korea, was an assistant project manager for the U.S. Army who had responsibilities for a major contract.

     In or about February 2009, Kwon traveled to South Korea to meet “Public Official C.” In exchange for an undisclosed ownership interest in Avenciatech, “Public Official C” agreed to use his official position to steer subcontracts from the Army to Avenciatech. Plans later called for “Public Official C” to have a 40 percent ownership interest in the company.

     In September 2009, Avenciatech obtained an Army subcontract in the amount of $366,844. However, Army change orders later increased the value of this subcontract to $1,913,059. Avenciatech also obtained a second contract in February 2011, in the amount of $551,093. Change orders later increased its value to $1,413,513.

     In exchange for the official assistance of “Public Official C,” Kwon made a series of bribe payments. They included cash payments; payments for hotel stays for “Public Official C” and family members, including a trip to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas; payments to finance the purchase of a 2010 Lexus automobile, and payments for other things of value.

     Kwon also assisted “Public Official C” in obtaining financing for the purchase of a home in Fairfax Station, Va., where “Public Official C” resided following his reassignment in 2010 to a position at Fort Belvoir. “Public Official C” wanted to make a $230,000 down payment on the home purchase but did not want to face questions about the source of the money in “Public Official C’s” bank account. Instead “Public Official C” transferred the $230,000 to an account of an Avenciatech employee, Helen Woo.   Kwon caused Woo, in turn to execute a phony “gift letter” claiming that she was “Public Official C’s” cousin and that she was providing the $230,000 to a settlement company for the home purchase.

     Kwon also pled guilty and was sentenced today on charges in a separate scheme involving bank fraud. In addition to running Avenciatech, Kwon was the operations manager for Onyx Financial Services, a mortgage broker based in Annandale. He admitted involvement in at least six fraudulent real estate sales and refinances in northern Virginia, with loan amounts of about $1.8 million. Finally, Kwon pled guilty and was sentenced today for the willful failure to file a tax return. This charge involved his 2010 income tax return.

     Cho, Khan, Park and Woo are among those pleading guilty in the case.

     Cho pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, money laundering, and wire fraud, and to defraud the United States, and one count of bribery.  Khan pled guilty to one count each of bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Park pled guilty to two counts of bribery. Woo pled guilty to a misdemeanor fraud charge for her role in the home financing scheme.

     Khan was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in prison. Woo was sentenced to two years of probation. Cho and Park are awaiting sentencing.

     In announcing Kwon’s sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, Special Agent in Charge Kelly, Inspector General Gustafson, Special Agent in Charge Craig, and Director Robey thanked those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office; the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Office of the Inspector General for the Small Business Administration; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Army Criminal Investigation Command. They also expressed thanks to the U.S. Marshals Service for its assistance on the forfeiture matter.

     They also praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael K. Atkinson and Bryan Seeley of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Finally, they expressed thanks for assistance provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Dana; Forensic Accountant Maria Boodoo; Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris, Lenisse Edloe, Shanna Hays, Taryn McLaughlin, Sarah Reis, Christopher Samson, and Nicole Wattelet, and Legal Assistants Krishawn Graham and Jessica McCormick.

14-024

WASHINGTON – David Gantt, 29, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from his sexual abuse of two girls in separate incidents during the summer of 2012, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced. 

     Gantt pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of attempted second-degree child sexual abuse and one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin on April 18, 2014.  He faces up to five-and-a-half years in prison.  He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.

     According to the government’s factual proffer at today’s plea hearing, in July 2012, Gantt molested a 12-year-old girl in the laundry room of an apartment building in Southeast Washington. Approximately one month later, Gantt inappropriately touched a 10-year-old girl who was visiting a friend who lived in Gantt’s apartment.

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Division, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Jason Manuel and Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

14-022

WASHINGTON – Donnie Dukes, a former compliance officer for the District of Columbia Public Schools, has pled guilty to charges in a scheme involving more than $460,000 in fraudulent payments to a private transportation company that he owned and controlled.

     The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Charles J. Willoughby, Inspector General for the District of Columbia, and Steven Anderson, Special Agent in Charge, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education.

     Dukes, 40, of Hyattsville, Md., pled guilty on Jan. 22, 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to wire fraud and conflict-of-interest charges. The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2014. Under federal sentencing guidelines, the parties have agreed that Dukes faces a prison sentence of 27 to 33 months, as well as potential financial penalties. The plea agreement calls for Dukes to pay a total of $463,621 in restitution to the District of Columbia. He also has agreed to a forfeiture money judgment of $300,000.

     According to the government’s evidence, Dukes worked from October 2008 until October 2010 as a compliance officer for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). His duties included making arrangements for transportation for the special needs students who received education services outside of the District of Columbia.

     At the same time, however, Dukes owned and controlled a private company that provided, among other services, transportation to students who needed to travel from the District of Columbia to education centers outside of the District of Columbia for special services.

     While working at DCPS, Dukes personally referred, or caused colleagues of his at DCPS to refer, 86 out-of-state student transports to his company, resulting in the firm receiving $325,000 in payments from the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Of this, the government’s evidence showed, $163,621 involved illegitimate expenses.

     Dukes was terminated from DCPS in October 2010 as part of an overall reduction in the workforce. He then schemed to obtain non-public lists of students needing transportation services from his former colleagues at DCPS. Dukes later used these lists to create false invoices and supporting documentation for payments to his company in the names of the students. Dukes created 60 false invoices and supporting documentation through this scheme, causing the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education to pay his company $300,000 for transportation services that never were provided.

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, Inspector General Willoughby, and Special Agent in Charge Anderson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Legal Assistant Nicole Wattelet and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Waxman, who is prosecuting the case.

14-021

WASHINGTON- Stephen Page, 21, and James Brewer, 27, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to decades in prison for the 2011 slaying of a 71-year-old man in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Both men pled guilty in November 2013, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to second-degree murder while armed. They were sentenced by the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr. Page was sentenced to 31 years in prison, and Brewer was sentenced to a term of 27 years and eight months of incarceration. Upon completion of their prison terms, they will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to a proffer of facts presented during the plea hearing, on June 27, 2011, at about 9:15 p.m., Brewer, Page, Anthony Thomas, and a fourth man walked into an apartment building in the 2300 block of Good Hope Road SE. They entered the front lobby and gathered at the elevator. Then they took the elevator to the seventh floor.

     Minutes later, Brewer, Page and Thomas entered the apartment of Solomon Reese, 71, a Vietnam veteran who supplemented his retirement income by selling cigarettes to neighbors in the area. Mr. Reese was known by many neighbors as the “cigarette man.”

     While the men were inside, Mr. Reese’s wife, meanwhile, returned to the apartment from the building’s trash room. Upon hearing scuffling, she began to scream. At that point, Brewer pulled her inside the apartment and threw her toward the front room sofa. Then, as she continued to scream, Thomas placed a blanket over her mouth. Mr. Reese, who initially struggled with Page over a pistol that Page was holding, grabbed Thomas. Page warned him to let go. Then, when Mr. Reese reached into his pocket, Page shot him several times.

     Brewer, Page and Thomas left the apartment, taking two bags containing cigarettes and travelers’ checks. Mr. Reese was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. He had been shot multiple times, with bullets hitting him in the chest, abdomen and thigh.

     Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) obtained surveillance video showing Brewer, Page, Thomas, and the fourth man entering the building and getting onto the elevator. Footage from approximately seven minutes later showed Brewer, Page and Thomas moving quickly out of the stairwell on the basement level, with Brewer carrying two bags.

     On July 14, 2011, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Brewer in Newport News, Va., and transported him to the District of Columbia for presentment on a charge of first-degree murder while armed. While awaiting presentment in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Brewer switched armbands with another arrestee and pretended to be that person. He then signed release papers under that arrestee’s name and left the courthouse. Marshals discovered the ruse and searched for Brewer, who surrendered the following day.

     Thomas, 25, earlier pled guilty to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed and is awaiting sentencing.

     In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the MPD detectives, officers, crime scene technicians, and forensic specialists who worked on the case. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. In addition, he praised those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews Yette; Litigation Technology Specialists Kimberly Smith, Leif Hickling, and Joshua Ellen; Jelahn Stewart, chief of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit, and Victim/Witness staff members Maria Shumar, Marcia Rinker, Michael Hailey, Katina Adams-Washington, M. Laverne Forrest, Tanya Via, and David Foster. Finally, he commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Wheeler, and Scott Sroka, who secured the indictment in the case and handled the prosecution which led to the plea.

14-020

     WASHINGTON –David J. Brown, Sr., 49, the operator of an electronics store in Northwest Washington, has been found guilty by a jury of charges stemming from the recovery of stolen property from his place of business, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Brown, of Capitol Heights, Md., was found guilty Jan. 16, 2014, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of charges of felony trafficking in stolen property and misdemeanor receiving stolen property.  The Honorable John McCabe scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2014.  Under the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Brown faces a prison sentence of 10 to 28 months, and a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years.

     According to the government’s evidence, on the afternoon of Nov. 22, 2011, the victim was walking northbound on North Capitol Street when her iPhone was snatched from her hand.  The victim went to a nearby security guard and contacted police. 

     After the police arrived, the victim contacted her friend, who, using the “Find My iPhone” application, ultimately tracked the victim’s phone to the vicinity of “12 Volt Mobile Electronics,” the defendant’s business, located in the 300 block of H Street NW.  Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) personnel responded to that location, where they made contact with Brown, and subsequently recovered the victim’s iPhone from him.

     Brown initially provided an invoice to the police, claiming that the phone had been dropped off with his son to be serviced, but subsequently admitted that the invoice was a fake.  Brown was arrested for receiving stolen property and then released pending trial.

     On Dec. 2, 2011, MPD personnel returned to “12 Volt Electronics” to execute a search warrant.  During the search, they recovered another iPhone that had been stolen in a “snatch robbery” similar to the first victim’s robbery.   

     In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigators Derek Starliper, John Marsh, and Durand Odom; Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Katina Adams-Washington; Paralegal Specialists Donville Drummond and Tameka Garcia, and Legal Assistant Sharece Muschettea. Finally, he praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Swanton, who is prosecuting the matter.

14-017

WASHINGTON - Pamela J. Beard, 51, of Bowie, Md., pled guilty today to a federal mail fraud charge stemming from the embezzlement of more than $3.6 million from her former employer, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Among other things, Beard used the stolen money for vacations, jewelry, a timeshare, and a 50th birthday party for herself.

     Beard entered the plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for May 8, 2014. Under the plea agreement, Beard must pay $3,688,649 in criminal forfeiture and restitution. Under the voluntary federal sentencing guidelines, she faces between 41 and 51 months of incarceration.

     According to the government=s evidence, from approximately March 1997 through February 2013, Beard was employed as a billing clerk and the office manager at the Office of Orthopaedic Medicine & Surgery, in Washington, DC.  Her duties included paying vendors and creditors, as well as making payments on the business’s corporate credit card accounts.  She had access to the office’s financial information and payment systems, and, as a result, could generate checks on the office’s corporate checking account. She also was authorized to use a corporate credit card to pay for business-related expenses.  Beard was not authorized to use the office’s bank accounts or corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses.

     From May 1, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard embezzled $3,688,649 from the office. She used the proceeds to pay for, among other things: a home mortgage; vehicles; a timeshare with Disney Vacation Development, Inc.; expenses associated with her husband’s landscaping business; vacations, including a trip to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas; a personal trainer; jewelry, and parties, including Beard’s 50th birthday party at the Sunset Room at National Harbor, in or around February 2012, for which she spent about $18,703 on ice sculptures.

     Beard embezzled the money in a variety of ways:

     From May 1, 2006, through Jan. 22, 2013, Beard generated more than 100 corporate checks, totaling $1,289,736.55, on her employer’s checking account. Each check was made payable to Bank of America.  Once the checks were generated by Beard through the office’s payment system, she provided them to a physician, who signed them on the office’s behalf. Because the checks were payable to Bank of America, the physician believed that they were  intended to pay a corporate credit card account at Bank of America. Beard, however, deposited them at various Bank of America branches to make payments, without authorization, on Bank of America credit card accounts for Beard, her husband, and her husband’s landscaping business.

     From Oct. 6, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard generated and mailed additional checks drawn on the office’s corporate checking account to pay personal credit card accounts for herself and her husband at American Express. She also made on-line payments from the corporate checking account to American Express.  Beard conducted these financial transactions, without authorization, in the total amount of $2,207,882.02.

     Finally, from April 21, 2006, through Dec. 30, 2012, Beard used the office’s corporate credit card without authorization, to purchase goods and services for her own personal use in the total amount of $191,030.56.

     In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge Parlave commended the investigative work of special agents and analysts of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Senior Inspector Wayne Rollock of the U.S. Marshals Service.  He also praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Corinne Kleinman, Rosalind Pressley, and Nicole Wattelet; Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly, who is handling forfeiture issues; and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Johnson, who is prosecuting the case.

14-018

WASHINGTON – Neil S. Rodgers, a former District of Columbia government official, was indicted today on federal charges stemming from his role in channeling $110,000 in youth and drug prevention grant funds used to pay for an inaugural ball.

     The indictment, returned by a grand jury 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.

     Rodgers, 61, of Washington, D.C., served as the Committee Director of the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning. He was indicted on three felony charges, including one count each of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, wire fraud, and first-degree fraud. Rodgers faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of incarceration if convicted of all charges.

     Six others have pled guilty to charges in the overall investigation into activities involving former Council Member Harry L. Thomas, Jr.  Thomas pled guilty in January 2012 to charges stemming from a scheme in which he used more than $350,000 in taxpayers’ money that was earmarked for the arts, youth recreation, and summer programs for his own personal benefit, including paying for vehicles, clothing and trips. He resigned in January 2012 as a condition of his plea agreement and is now serving a 38-month prison sentence.

     The others who have pled guilty include James Garvin and Marshall D. Banks, leaders of one of the non-profits used in the scheme. Both men, from the Langston in the 21st Century Foundation, pled guilty to misprision of a felony, a charge holding them accountable for failing to report and concealing the misappropriation of $392,000 in government grants.  Additionally, Danita C. Doleman, the president of Youth Technology Institute, pled guilty to filing a false tax return in connection with her assistance in funneling public money to pay for the 51st State Inaugural Ball. Millicent D. West, the former director and chief executive officer of a non-profit organization that promotes youth opportunities, pled guilty to a criminal tax charge for her role in channeling the youth grant funds to pay for the ball. Finally, Ayawna Webster, an aide who also worked as a chief of staff for Thomas, pled guilty to attempting to interfere with the administration of the Internal Revenue Service laws.

     Garvin and Banks were sentenced to three years of supervised probation, 80 hours of community service, and ordered to pay full restitution. Doleman, West, and Webster are awaiting sentencing.

     “Today’s indictment charges Neil Rodgers with stealing tax dollars meant for children to throw a $100,000 black-tie party for adults,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “This prosecution is the final step in our investigation of the criminal activities of former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas, Jr., which has resulted in six guilty pleas.  The results of this investigation are a reminder of the grave consequences for government employees and others who knowingly facilitate the illegal actions of corrupt elected officials.”

     “Today’s indictment is an example of what happens when a public servant becomes complicit in corrupt behavior rather than standing up to it,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Knowingly submitting false and misleading documents to support a larger scheme at the direction of a public official is illegal. The FBI will investigate allegations of corruption at all levels and hold those who allow it accountable for their actions.”

     Before becoming Committee Director, Rodgers worked for many years at the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation, serving as Chief of Staff and Acting Director.

     Thomas, who took office in January 2007 as the Ward 5 representative, served during his first term as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, which involved oversight responsibility for the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. In that role, he worked with a non-profit public-private partnership that provided resources and developed programs to benefit children and youth in the District of Columbia.

     The partnership was primarily funded by the District of Columbia government through funds designated by the Mayor and Council for particular youth-related purposes. The partnership provided grants to organizations for programs tailored for children and youth.

     The charges against Rodgers deal with his role in securing funds for the 51st State Inaugural Ball, held on Jan. 20, 2009 in the Wilson Building. Thomas was closely involved in the planning the event. In addition to her work duties, Ayawna Webster was the president of a local chapter of a political organization. She and her political organization served as the host of the ball, and she then organized the event, at Thomas’s direction.

     Ticket sales and other contributions failed to raise enough money to pay the expenses associated with the 51st State Inaugural Ball. Following the ball, Webster’s political organization owed vendors approximately $100,000. According to the indictment, Rodgers participated in a scheme to channel money through a grant from the public-private partnership, meant for youths, to Webster’s political organization so that these expenses would be paid.

     The plan hit an obstacle, however, when questions were raised about the legality of granting money to a political organization. The grant recipient was changed to the Youth Technology Institute, another non-profit organization. Even though Rodgers knew that this organization had no involvement with the ball, according to the indictment, he requested $120,000 in grant funds on its behalf. On Feb. 5, 2009, based on the false grant paperwork submitted by Rodgers, the public-private partnership issued a check in the amount of $110,000 to the Youth Technology Institute, the indictment alleges.

     In truth, after the grant was issued, the Youth Technology Institute immediately forwarded nearly the entire amount to Webster’s political organization, which paid expenses from the 51st State Inaugural Ball.

     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 is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and IRS-CI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James E. Smith and David Johnson, of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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WASHINGTON -- Benjamin Grey, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 8 ½ years on charges stemming from a scheme in which he posed as a car dealer to defraud individuals and banks of more than $185,000, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Kathy A. Michalko,Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

     Grey was found guilty by a jury in September 2013 of a total of 21 charges, including five counts of bank fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. The verdicts followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Grey was sentenced by the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle. Upon completion of his prison term, Grey will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $189,065 in restitution to all of his victims and the same amount in an additional forfeiture money judgment.

     In sentencing the defendant, Judge Huvelle made note of evidence introduced by the government that showed a series of other frauds perpetrated by Grey over the course of several years, causing losses to various individuals and banks

     According to the evidence presented at trial, Grey claimed to run car dealerships named Planet Cars and GreyMaxx.  He persuaded various individuals to apply for car loans to buy luxury cars, such as BMWs, from him and Planet Cars.  After each bank or credit union granted the loan, and gave the applicant a loan check to buy the car, Grey took the money and spent it. Afterwards, however, Grey never produced the promised car, and avoided contact with the victim.  In fact, Grey never owned the cars in question.

     As the evidence showed, each auto loan was between $29,000 and $35,000.  After the scheme, each victim was left without the car – but with the car loan coming due.  Some victims tried to pay the loans, even though they had been swindled; another declared bankruptcy, devastating her credit.  The lending institutions lost the amounts loaned.  The individual victims included an Army veteran who had served in Iraq. 

     Meanwhile, Grey spent the loan checks at bars, nightclubs, and retail establishments in and around the D.C. area, running up bar tabs in the thousands of dollars.

     In addition, the evidence at trial showed that Grey executed other, similar confidence schemes.  In August and September 2010, Grey defrauded a would-be business partner out of $34,000 by pretending that the money would finance their purchase and re-sale of luxury cars.  Similarly, in April 2010, Grey – holding himself out as the owner of Planet Cars – pretended to buy a car from a legitimate car dealership in Bethesda, Md., using a worthless check drawn on a Planet Cars bank account that had been closed for a year. 

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Special Agent in Charge Michalko and Chief Lanier expressed appreciation for the work done by those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and Secret Service. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Krishawn Graham, Lenisse Edloe, and Tasha Harris, and Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Friedman, who investigated the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hooks and Christopher Kavanaugh, who investigated and tried the case.

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WASHINGTON – Levette J. Douglas, 35, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced today to a 27-month prison term for her role in a scheme that defrauded the U.S. Postal Service out of more than $164,000 through the submission of false insurance claims.

     The sentencing, which took place in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Paul L. Bowman, Special Agent in Charge, Capital Metro Area Field Office, U.S. Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General.

     Douglas pled guilty in October 2013 to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. As part of the plea agreement, Douglas agreed to pay $164,859 in criminal forfeiture and restitution. She was sentenced by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras. Upon completion of her prison term, Douglas will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, from April 2010 to July 2013, Douglas and her co-conspirators submitted false claims to the Postal Service for allegedly damaged or lost parcels.  As part of this scheme, Douglas and others purchased insurance for approximately 325 parcels that were sent through the mail.  They later falsely claimed that the parcels were damaged or lost, often submitting forged or fictitious documents to support their claims.

     For example, on one occasion, Douglas submitted a false affidavit purporting to be from a postal letter carrier in support of a claim that a parcel was not delivered. The affiant, allegedly a postal letter carrier with the initials M.M., stated that she had not delivered any parcels to the recipient for several months. The affiant also provided a phone number in case there were questions.  That phone number was Douglas’s phone number.  In fact, the parcel in question was delivered and the recipient signed a delivery receipt. 

     As a final part of this scheme, Douglas also mailed to the Postal Service’s accounting department forged internal postal forms purporting to be from Postal Service employees verifying the false claims. In total, the Postal Service paid $164,859 based on these false claims.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen and Special Agent in Charge Bowman commended the investigative work of Special Agent Jason Manning of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.  They also praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Corinne Kleinman and Nicole Wattelet; Criminal Investigator Matthew Kutz; Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who worked on forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Johnson, who prosecuted the case.

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WASHINGTON - John Vanathayan, 42, of Silver Spring, Md., was sentenced today to 100 months in prison for traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, 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).

     Vanathayan pled guilty in November 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and was sentenced today by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. Upon completion of his prison term, Vanathayan will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.

     According to the government's evidence, on July 19, 2012, Vanathayan contacted a citizen on a telephone chat line.  During the course of the conversation, Vanathayan requested that the citizen provide a female child, between the ages of six and nine, for the purpose of sex. The citizen agreed to try to comply with the request. Instead, the citizen contacted MPD and reported the communication. An MPD officer, along with FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, began to investigate. During the course of the investigation, Vanathayan arranged with the citizen to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with a child.   On July 20, 2012, Vanathayan traveled from Silver Spring to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C.  When Vanathayan arrived at the meeting place, he was arrested.

     This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD.

     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 people 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 sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director Parlave and Chief Lanier praised the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.  They also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Julieanne Himelstein, who prosecuted the case, and Legal Intern Matthew Kerr, who provided assistance.

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WASHINGTON – Lashawn Carson, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 6 ½ years in prison on charges stemming from a shooting at a Northwest Washington restaurant, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Carson was found guilty by a jury in October 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of aggravated assault while armed and related firearms offenses. She was sentenced by the Honorable Michael Ryan. Upon completion of her prison term, Carson will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, at 5:30 a.m. on March 11, 2012, two groups of friends were eating at the IHOP restaurant in the 3100 block of 14th Street NW. The victim’s group of friends was seated at one table and Carson’s group was at another.

     As the victim was attempting to walk to the cash register to pay his bill, Carson and a male friend inadvertently stood directly in his way. The victim attempted to squeeze by and accidently bumped into Carson. Words were exchanged, and the defendant’s male friend used a homophobic slur. A fight ensued, and an off-duty police detective, who was seated nearby, jumped up to break it up. At that point, according to the government’s evidence, Carson walked over, adjusted her hair, pulled out a firearm and shot the victim once in the chest.

     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 handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Joe Calvarese; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Finkelman and Lauren Dickie, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Cannon, who investigated the case and prosecuted it at trial.

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WASHINGTON – Clyde Lacy Rattler, 56, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of two counts of bank robbery stemming from a pair of hold-ups committed in downtown Washington on the same day, 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).

     The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Rattler will be sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson, on April 8, 2014.  He faces up to 20 years in prison. The Court ordered that he be held without bond pending his sentencing.  In 2005, Rattler was convicted of three bank robberies and one attempted bank robbery.

     According to the government's evidence, on Friday, Aug. 2, 2013, at about 10 a.m., Rattler approached the teller station at United Bank, in the 1600 block of K Street NW, and told the teller that he had a gun and wanted money in large denominations. The teller gave Rattler multiple clips of $100 and $50 bills, and he exited the bank.  The loss to the bank was later determined to be $1,650.

     Later the same day, at about 5 p.m., Rattler approached the teller station at the TD Bank, in the 1000 block of 15th Street NW. He told the teller he had a gun and a bomb, and he wanted money in large denominations.  The teller gave him money, and he exited the bank. The loss to the bank was later determined to be $1,141.

     A news report describing the robberies aired on a local television station, including bank surveillance footage.  After seeing a news report, several persons, including two law enforcement officers, called the FBI, and Rattler was identified as the perpetrator of the robberies. 

     In announcing the guilty verdicts, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, and Chief Lanier commended the actions of those who investigated the robberies for the FBI and MPD. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle and Legal Assistant Tammy Scott.  Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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WASHINGTON – Albrecht Muth, 49, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today of first-degree murder in the slaying of his wife, 91-year-old Viola Drath, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

     Muth, who has taken on numerous personas over the years, including that of an Iraqi Army general, was found guilty by a jury following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The jury found Muth guilty of first-degree (premeditated) murder with the aggravating circumstances that the murder was especially heinous, cruel, and inflicted on a vulnerable victim. Muth faces a maximum sentence of life without parole. The Honorable Russell F. Canan scheduled sentencing for March 19, 2014.

     The trial took place without the defendant present in the courtroom. Muth, who has been in custody since his arrest in August 2011, has been hospitalized after staging a series of hunger strikes dating to December of 2012. His refusal of regular sustenance has caused his physical health to deteriorate and resulted in the hospitalization. The government contended that his refusal to eat was part of a manipulation designed to avoid trial. Muth was able to listen to and participate in the court proceedings, out of view of the jury, via a video link to the courtroom.

     “Albrecht Muth has pretended to be an Iraqi general, a Count, and an East German spy, but in truth he is a cold-blooded killer who strangled his elderly wife to death,” said U.S. Attorney Machen.  “Even as this trial approached, he tried to manipulate the system through on-and-off fasts designed to avoid facing justice for his terrible crime.  This jury saw right through Albrecht Muth’s elaborate web of lies and held him accountable for his brutality.”

     “With today’s conviction, Albrecht Muth must now face the consequences of his violent crime,” said Chief Lanier. “I applaud the hard-working members of this department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in helping to make today’s conviction possible.”

     According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of Aug. 12, 2011, Muth called 911 and reported that Ms. Drath was dead on the bathroom floor of their home in the 3200 block of Q Street NW. The District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner determined that Ms. Drath’s death was caused by strangulation and blunt force injuries.

     On the evening of Aug. 11, 2011, the government’s evidence showed, Muth had been drinking. Witnesses indicated that Muth became progressively louder and somewhat belligerent during the course of the evening.  A witness escorted Muth to the house on Q Street and saw him walking down the stairwell to the basement of his residence at approximately 10 p.m. 

     In the early morning hours of Aug. 12, 2011, a witness heard a woman’s faint cry and a man’s laugh emanating from inside the defendant’s home. Then, at approximately 7:56 a.m. on Aug. 12, 2011, Muth made the call to 911. When MPD officers arrived, there were no signs of forced entry into the house and nothing was taken or disturbed. According to the defendant, only he and Ms. Drath had keys to the house. Also according to the defendant, he and his wife were the only two people present in the home during the previous evening. 

     During the trial, the government presented evidence of a documented history of domestic violence by the defendant against his wife.  In addition, Muth had made a number of statements over the years indicating a desire to kill her.  By the summer of 2011, Ms. Drath had enough of the defendant’s abuse and was trying to end the marriage. Also, despite the fact that Ms. Drath specifically disinherited Muth in her will, he regularly pressured her for money. After killing the victim, and before her body was removed from the home, Muth presented a fraudulent document to the daughter of the victim demanding $200,000.   

     In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen and Chief Lanier recognized the outstanding efforts of the detectives, evidence technicians, and officers who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They expressed appreciation to the District of Columbia Department of Corrections for its assistance in the matter.  They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin O. Lyons, who assisted in the investigation; Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; Investigative Analysts Lawrence Grasso and Zachary McMenamin; Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Maria Shumar and David Foster of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit.

     Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenn Kirschner and Laura Bach, who tried the case.

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WASHINGTON – Arnold Rojas Rivas, 46, a businessman from San Antonio, Texas, pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from a scheme in which he defrauded a federal agency and a private company of nearly $1.7 million, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

     Rojas pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to wire fraud. The Honorable Robert L. Wilkins scheduled sentencing for May 14, 2014.  Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely range of 33 to 41 months of incarceration as well as a fine of up to $75,000. Under the plea agreement, he also must pay restitution. Finally, he is subject to an additional forfeiture money judgment in the amount of at least $1,655,925.

     According to the government’s evidence, Rojas was the director of Corporativo Papelero y De Suministros Basicos, S.A. DE C.V. (COPASBA), a company based in Mexico that produced toilet paper and napkins for the Mexican market by converting large rolls of raw paper into final products.  The company applied for, and obtained, access to a $10 million credit facility from a finance company based in Hartford, Conn.  At the time that COPASBA applied for the credit facility, it was the fifth biggest producer of toilet paper and napkins in Mexico.  Funds borrowed from this credit facility were supposed to be used to build a warehouse to house COPASBA’s product and to assist with the company’s general operations. 

     The credit facility was guaranteed by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an agency of the U.S. government which has as one of its missions providing insurance, guarantees, financing, and reinsurance for projects in less developed countries and areas.  Under the terms of the guarantee agreement, OPIC guaranteed 97.5% of any losses.

     In order to obtain access to the funds, Rojas had to submit requests explaining how COPASBA would use the funds, and these requests required Rojas to make a number of representations about COPASBA’s financial condition.  In mid-2006, COPASBA requested and received more than $6 million from the facility.  In the months after receiving the last of these funds, COPASBA’s position weakened significantly: the company’s cash-on-hand plummeted, workers went on strike, and suppliers began refusing to do business with the company.  The company’s condition became so bad during this time that Rojas ordered workers to disassemble the machines the company used to make its paper goods so the machines could be sold.  By June 2007, COPASBA had essentially ceased functioning as a company. 

     Nevertheless, Rojas requested another disbursement of over $1.8 million for COPASBA, failing, in violation of the credit agreement, to inform the finance company or OPIC of the many problems the company had encountered.  Unaware of the fact that COPASBA had ceased functioning, the finance company released over $1.8 million from the credit facility to COPASBA.   Within moments of COPASBA receiving the funds, Rojas transferred nearly $1.7 million to his personal account.  He used these funds for his and his family’s personal benefit.

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge Parlave commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris, Lenisse Edloe, and Shanna Hays; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Solomon, who investigated the matter, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who handled forfeiture issues. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Graves and former Acting Deputy Chief Glenn S. Leon and former Trial Attorney Mary Ann McCarthy of the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

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