District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – A civil forfeiture complaint was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that $47 million in proceeds from the sale of nearly one million barrels of Iranian petroleum is forfeitable as property of, or affording a person a source of influence over, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or its Qods Force (IRGC-QF), designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).

           The forfeiture was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. of the Minneapolis Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso of the New York Office.

           The forfeiture complaint alleges a scheme between 2022 and 2024 to facilitate the shipment, storage, and sale of Iranian petroleum product for the benefit of the IRGC and IRGC-QF. The facilitators used deceptive practices to masquerade the Iranian oil as Malaysian, including by manipulating the tanker’s automatic identification system (AIS) to conceal that it onboarded the oil from a port in Iran. The facilitators presented falsified documents to the Croatian storage facility and port authority, claiming that the oil was Malaysian. The facilitators paid for storage fees associated with the oil’s storage at the Croatian facility in U.S. dollars, transactions that were conducted through U.S. financial institutions that would have refused the transactions had they known they were associated with Iranian oil. The petroleum product was sold in 2024, and the United States seized $47 million in proceeds from that sale.

           The civil forfeiture complaint further alleges that the petroleum product constitutes the property of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which has perpetuated a federal crime of terrorism by providing material support to the IRGC and IRGC-QF. As alleged, profits from petroleum product sales support the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and both domestic and international human rights abuses.

           “We will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran, in furtherance of President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “With the continued seizures of Iranian oil and U.S. dollar profits, we are sending a clear message to Iran that bypassing the sanctions put in place by the U.S. Government is not as easy as playing a shell game with tankers filled with oil. We remain committed to thwarting Iran’s devious attempts, and to deprive its terrorists of the funding they desire.”

           “The FBI will not allow hostile regimes to evade U.S. sanctions or exploit our financial systems to fund designated terrorist organizations,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Winston. “The FBI, alongside our partners, will relentlessly enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran and safeguard U.S. national security by disrupting illicit networks that seek to profit from sanctioned oil sales.”

           “Through the work of HSI’s Counterproliferation Investigations group, alongside the FBI, the U.S. government has seized $47 million worth of funds allegedly meant for terrorist groups intent on causing catastrophic harm," said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Alfonso. "The expertise of HSI personnel, coupled with federal law enforcement’s whole-of-government approach, ensures the wellbeing of the United States and our innocent foreign counterparts, alike. We are relentlessly utilizing every tool at our disposal in pursuit of any and all security threats.”

           Funds successfully forfeited with a connection to a state sponsor of terrorism may in whole or in part be directed to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

           FBI Minneapolis Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations New York are investigating the case.

           Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Maeghan O. Mikorski, and Brian Hudak for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Adam Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case. They received assistance from former Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

           A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation.  The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.

A civil forfeiture complaint was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that $47 million in proceeds from the sale of nearly one million barrels of Iranian petroleum is forfeitable as property of, or affording a person a source of influence over, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or its Qods Force (IRGC-QF), designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

The forfeiture complaint alleges a scheme between 2022 and 2024 to facilitate the shipment, storage, and sale of Iranian petroleum product for the benefit of the IRGC and IRGC-QF. The facilitators used deceptive practices to masquerade the Iranian oil as Malaysian, including by manipulating the tanker’s automatic identification system (AIS) to conceal that it onboarded the oil from a port in Iran. The facilitators presented falsified documents to the Croatian storage and port facility, claiming that the oil was Malaysian. The facilitators paid for storage fees associated with the oil’s storage in Croatia in U.S. dollars, transactions that were conducted through U.S. financial institutions that would have refused the transactions had they known they were associated with Iranian oil. The petroleum product was sold in 2024, and the United States seized $47 million in proceeds from that sale.

The civil forfeiture complaint further alleges that the petroleum product constitutes the property of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which has perpetuated a federal crime of terrorism by providing material support to the IRGC and IRGC-QF. As alleged, profits from petroleum product sales support the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and both domestic and international human rights abuses.

Funds successfully forfeited with a connection to a state sponsor of terrorism may in whole or in part be directed to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

FBI Minneapolis Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations New York are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Maeghan O. Mikorski, and Brian Hudak for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Adam Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case. They received assistance from former Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.

WASHINGTON – Maurice Felder, 53, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today on assault with intent to kill while armed and other charges stemming from a stabbing on November 10, 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Felder was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and possession of a prohibited weapon.

          Felder is to be arraigned on March 28, 2025, at a hearing before the Honorable Judith Pipe.

           According to the government’s evidence, on November 10, 2024, at about 1:00 a.m., the victim and his friends were walking near the intersection of 7th Street, N.W., and T Street, N.W. The victim and his friends were visiting Washington, D.C., for a weekend from Pennsylvania. The defendant followed the victim and his group down the sidewalk and began verbally arguing with the group. The victim got in between the defendant and other members of his friend group, telling the defendant to leave. The defendant asked the victim, “do you want to die,” pulled out a knife, and stabbed the victim in his chest. The victim sustained a stab wound 2 centimeters from his heart and required urgent medical care. The defendant was apprehended shortly thereafter, approximately one block from the location of incident. At the time of arrest, defendant matched the provided lookout description for the stabbing suspect. A knife was recovered from defendant’s pants pocket. Felder has been in custody since his arrest. 

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. 

This case is being prosecuted by AUSA Valerie Tsesarenko of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

WASHINGTON – William Brock, 33, and Anthony Antwon McNair, Jr., 36, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to 657 months (54.75 years) months and 378 months (31.5 years) in prison respectively for their roles in a series of armed robberies of Brink’s armored cars in Washington, D.C., that resulted in the loss of more than $1.2 million. 

           The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Brock and McNair were found guilty by a federal jury on September 9, 2024, of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery), bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The jury also found co-defendant Erin Sheffey guilty the same day of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery. Sheffey was sentenced January 15, 2025, to 18 years in prison.

           In addition to the prison terms, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Brock and McNair to each serve three years of supervised release and pay $1.2 million in restitution.

          The three Brink’s truck robberies occurred on October 6, 2021, December 8, 2021, and March 2, 2022. In those robberies, the defendants used firearms to assault the drivers of Brink’s armored cars and steal money. In total, the defendants stole over $1.2 million. 

            According to court documents and the evidence at trial, the three defendants were members of the Choppa City street crew. Brock, McNair, and Sheffey conspired together and with others to plan and carry out the robberies, brandishing firearms on busy District streets while doing so. 

           Each robbery occurred on a Wednesday at about 9 a.m., and two occurred on busy city throughfares, causing a significant risk to the public. Testimony in the case revealed that the conspirators used assault rifles to carry out their robberies. 

          Brock planned the robberies for months, learning the routes and arrival times of the Brink’s drivers, to ensure the robbery team was in place. As the Brink’s driver exited his armored car vehicle to deliver money to a business, the robbers ambushed him. In two cases, the defendants assaulted one of the Brink’s drivers, even after he had complied to their demands and had turned over his courier bag.

          Members of the crew used social media to show off large sums of money they stole during the robberies and photographed themselves making high-end luxury purchases. For example, within two days of the robberies, Brock purchased vehicles in cash totaling over $36,000. 

           Leading up to trial, all three men attempted to intimidate witnesses in the case. These attempts, among other things, were cited as bases for their decades-long sentences.

          This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Tepfer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Schneider. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Gold, Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, and Thomas Strong.

An AR-15 used by the defendants during the armed robberies

Brock (right) and McNair (left) robbing a Brinks armored car employee with a firearm on December 8, 2021. Brock and McNair assaulted the driver by beating him with their pistols even after he turned over the delivery bag.

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WASHINGTON – Desmond Fletcher, 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, has been found guilty by a jury of one count of felony strangulation and two counts of misdemeanor assault for charges that took place in southeast Washington, D.C., on September 4, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The verdict was returned on March 24, 2025, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Pipe scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2025.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of September 4, 2023, Fletcher came to the home of the victim, a woman he had been seeing romantically. Once inside, the defendant confronted the victim, following her from room to room, as he strangled and assaulter her, causing her to black-out and urinate. The victim’s minor daughter was also home at the time of the assault. The victim ultimately ran to a next-door neighbor and asked her to call 911.

            Strangulation is widely recognized as one of the most lethal forms of intimate partner violence. A major strangulation study in San Diego, which is frequently cited, found: “Many victims suffer internal injuries, including permanent brain damage. Signs and symptoms do exist and can be documented even without visible injury… Most abusers do not strangle to kill. They strangle to show they can kill.  Victims often suffer major long-term emotional and physical impacts. Surviving victims are much more likely to die later if their abuser has strangled them.” The study also noted that “…..the odds of becoming a victim of attempted homicide increased by 700%, and the odds of becoming a homicide victim increased by 800%, among women who had been strangled by their partner.”

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Trisha Jhunjhnuwala and Sarah Roessler, from the Domestic Violence Felony Unit of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section of the Superior Court Division, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Corey Whittico, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in federal prison in connection with live-streaming himself on social media brandishing a pistol equipped with a machine gun conversion device as he was a passenger in a car traveling from Maryland into the District. The livestreamed video, which Metropolitan Police officers viewed as it was broadcast, also showed more than a kilogram of marijuana that Whittico had stashed in the back seat of the car.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., FBI Special Agent in Chief Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Whittico pleaded guilty on December 17, 2024, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 84-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates ordered Whittico to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on December 19, 2023, about 3:23 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department officers viewed, in real time, a live video broadcast on Instagram of a user account that officers knew belonged to Whittico. Whittico was in the front-passenger seat of a moving vehicle and had his camera pointed out the front windshield. One of the officers noted that the car appeared to be driving from Maryland into Washington D.C.

            Whittico turned the camera on himself to show that he was brandishing a black Glock handgun that had been outfitted with an aftermarket machine gun conversion device known as a “switch.” A “switch” is a device that converts a semi-automatic firearm to a fully automatic firearm. In the next minute, Wittico reached into the backseat of the vehicle and displayed black and clear plastic bags containing a green leafy substance consistent with the appearance of marijuana.

            The officers drove their marked MPD cruiser to the Clay Terrace neighborhood in Northeast Washington, an area that Whittico was known to frequent, while they continued to monitor Whittico’s livestream. In the Clay Terrace neighborhood, the officers spotted Whittico sitting in the passenger seat of a white Honda Accord. The officers conducted a traffic stop on the 5800 block of East Capitol Street, SE. As the driver of the Honda pulled over, the officers watched as the Honda’s occupants reached into the back passenger’s compartment and appeared to conceal an item under one of the seats.

            In the backseat of the car, officers found three separate packages of marijuana weighing a total of 51 ounces (over three pounds). (District law allows possession of two ounces for personal use.) Underneath the front passenger’s seat, officers recovered a Glock 27, .40 caliber semiautomatic, loaded with 17 rounds, that had been modified with a machine gun conversion device. Officers also recovered at Glock 45, 9 mm semiautomatic that was equipped with a laser and loaded with 26 rounds of ammunition.

            Whittico is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. In April 2023, he was convicted of robbery in Prince George’s County and sentenced to 10 years in prison, with eight years and six months suspended.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Courtney.

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WASHINGTON – Jose Anthony Contreras, 31, of Fullerton, California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 120 months in prison for his role in a nationwide narcotics distribution conspiracy that brought tens of thousands of doses of illegal fentanyl from California into the Washington, D.C. area.

           The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Washington Division, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division. 

           Contreras pleaded guilty on December 6, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the 120-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Contreras to serve five years of supervised release.

           According to court documents, Contreras was part of a large-scale fentanyl distribution conspiracy that obtained tens of thousands of fentanyl pills in California and then distributed those pills throughout the United States, including the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

           On June 18, 2024, law enforcement arrested Contreras at his residence and executed a search warrant. During the search, law enforcement recovered 600 to 700 fentanyl pills and $5,700 in cash hidden inside the canvas of a painting. Contreras has been detained since his arrest.

           This case was investigated by the DEA and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Isabelle Sun, Anthony Scarpelli, and Daniel Seidel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON - Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, M.D., 65, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was found guilty today by a federal jury in U.S. District Court in connection with illegally distributing prescriptions for narcotics in exchange for cash from his Northwest Washington D.C. medical clinic.

            The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division.

            The jury found Okafor guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (outside the practice of medicine), maintaining a drug-involved premises, and 22 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances (oxycodone and promethazine with codeine). U.S. District Judge John D. Bates scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 20, 2025. 

           According to court documents and evidence at trial, between May 2021 and April of 2023, Okafor was the sole practitioner and owner of Okafor Medical Associates, an internal medicine clinic in Northwest, Washington, D.C. The USAO and FBI began investigating Okafor for illegal distribution of controlled substances after it received information from law enforcement agencies nationwide regarding prescriptions from Okafor being connected to local drug trafficking networks.

            Between February 18, 2022, and November 30, 2022, the FBI sent confidential sources and undercover agents into Okafor’s medical practice for walk-in appointments. Each individual was prescribed opioids by Okafor after minimal examination. Further investigation revealed that Okafor was operating a nationwide drug distribution scheme, whereby he would prescribe opioids to numerous individuals using false identities, whom Okafor knew to be diverting the medication.

            Okafor’s conduct spanned at least 45 states and resulted in hundreds of thousands of units of oxycodone and promethazine with codeine liquid prescribed nationwide. Okafor was convicted of distribution of opioids to undercover sources, numerous uncharged co-conspirators, and to a civilian patient J.V. Okafor was also convicted of conspiracy and maintaining a drug-involved premises. Evidence at trial further established that, after Okafor was notified by the D.C. Board of Health that J.V.’s family member filed a complaint against him, he created backdated medical records for J.V. in an attempt to justify his prescribing.

            The investigation also resulted in the immediate suspension of Okafor’s DEA registration number in September 2023 as he was deemed to be a threat to public health and safety.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with valuable assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Justice Department gratefully acknowledge the Apex, North Carolina Police Department, the Warsaw, New York, Police Department, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Pennsylvania State Police, State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy, and the Noble County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office for their extraordinary efforts, support, and cooperation during the investigation and trial.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado and paralegals Rebecca Walton, Dillon Clark, and Matthew McClarnon of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section. The team also extends its deep appreciation to Michael Goodrich, Lead Travel Analyst of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section. 

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WASHINGTON – Ricky McNeil, 51, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for a July 2023 attempted robbery in which he kidnapped the victim at knifepoint and sexually assaulted her, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On December 11, 2024, a Superior Court Jury found McNeil guilty of kidnapping while armed, first-degree sexual abuse with aggravated circumstances, robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon (knife), possession of a prohibited weapon (knife), and assault with significant bodily injury. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe ordered five years of supervised release and ordered McNeil to register as a sex offender for life upon release from prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 26, 2023, as the victim was walking past the defendant, a stranger to her, on Benning Rd, NE, he asked her for a cigarette. She told him she was going to the store and would buy him one. McNeil then snatched her purse off her arm and ran toward the door of his nearby apartment. When he was entering, the victim tried to grab her purse back from McNeil, at which point he grabbed her wrist, pulled her inside and barricaded the sole door to the apartment. When the victim ran to a nearby window and yelled for help, McNeil grabbed her, threw her down and began punching her. He then took the victim into another room, ordered her to disrobe and perform oral sex on him, threatening to give her a “smiley face” with a knife he was holding if she refused. When he had forced the act upon her, she immediately bit him. At that point, McNeil punched her in the mouth, splitting open her lip, and continued beating her. When McNeil got distracted by a phone, the victim jumped out the second-story window to escape. She ran, partially clad, to a nearby McDonald’s where a good Samaritan let her borrow a cell phone to call 911. Police responded to the scene but McNeil had already fled.

            When a search warrant was executed the following morning, the victim’s clothing and shoes were recovered from inside McNeil’s apartment, as well as her blood and his.

            In October 2023, McNeil was arrested on a warrant in Tampa, FL, and extradited back to DC, where he has been held without bond. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including SODV paralegals Garcia Clark and Veronica Hale, Victim Witness Service Coordinator Maenylie Watson, IT supervisor Leif Hickling, and Victim Advocate Maria Sanchez-Garcia. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly K. Smith and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor and of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A federal indictment was filed today charging Charles Washington, Jr., 33, of Washington, D.C., with being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Washington was on probation at the time of his arrest.

            According to court documents, uniformed members of the MPD’s Seventh District Special Missions Unit responded at 4:05 p.m. on March 12 to the 2800 block of Alabama Ave. SE. Multiple individuals, including Washington, were gathered near a grey car. Washington was seen leaning on the vehicle. As MPD officers arrived, Washington took off running while holding his waistband. At one point, he stopped, hunched over a sewer drain, and appeared to toss an object down the drain. The officers observed Washington was no longer holding his waistband. Shortly after discarding the item, the defendant tripped and officers apprehended him. Officers went to the sewer drain, lifted the manhole cover, and recovered a black “ghost gun,” a privately made firearm with a Polymer 80 frame, with an attached Glock 23 slide and barrel, loaded with 12 rounds and one in the chamber.

            Washington was previously convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and also previously convicted of being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 25.

            This case is being investigated by the MPD and the ATF. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            This case is part of Make DC Safe Again, a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District.

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

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WASHINGTON – Cortney Merritts, 46, of St. Louis, Missouri, was charged today by federal indictment with two counts of wire fraud for allegedly filing fraudulent applications with the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021 that allowed him to collect more than $20,000 in government funds under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

           The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of the Inspector General-Eastern Region, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

           According to the indictment, on July 7, 2020, Merritts received an $8,500 EIDL loan from the SBA for a moving business he operated that he called Vetted Couriers. In the application he submitted for Vetted Couriers, Merritts certified that his business had six employees and had generated $32,000 in gross revenue between January 30, 2019 and January 30, 2020.

           On July 8, 2020, Merritts submitted another application to the SBA for an EIDL loan in the name of a sole proprietorship he called “Cortney Merritts.”  In this EIDL application, Merritts fraudulently claimed to have a business that employed 10 people and generated $53,000 in gross revenue between January 30, 2019 and January 30, 2020.  In addition to an EIDL loan, Merritts also requested an EIDL advance of up to $10,000 based on his false claim that he had 10 employees. The SBA rejected Merritts’ attempt to obtain additional EIDL funds after determining that his July 2020 application was nearly identical to the prior one he submitted.

           The indictment further alleges that on April 22, 2021, Merritts applied for a PPP loan in the name of a sole proprietorship he called “Cortney Merritts.”  Merritts fraudulently claimed in this application that he had created this business in 2020 and that it had generated $128,000 in gross income that year. Based on Merritts’ representations about his gross income, Merritts received a $20,832 PPP loan. Merritts used the proceeds for his personal benefit and enjoyment.  In July 2022, Merritts submitted a loan forgiveness application in which he falsely claimed that this business had 10 employees at the time of the PPP loan, and that he spent the $20,832 on payroll costs. Based on Merritts’ alleged fraudulent representations, the SBA forgave the PPP loan in the amount of $20,832 and the $254.03 in interest.

           This case is being investigated by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General and the FBI Washington Field Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami Sibay.

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

WASHINGTON – Isaiah Chase, 27, of Silver Spring, MD, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in federal prison for participating in a gunpoint robbery at Busboys and Poets, a café and bookstore, in the 400 block of K Street, NW.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Chase pleaded guilty on August 5, 2024, to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence before U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, who in addition to the 84-month sentence, ordered Chase to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, Chase was one of multiple conspirators who worked with an employee at Busboys and Poets to rob the business on February 6, 2022. The employee instructed Chase to come to the establishment at around 9:30 p.m. and to enter when a specific person was visible at the front of the establishment.

            Chase and two of the other conspirators, wearing dark clothing, masks, and hoodies, entered the establishment as the staff was cleaning up for the night. Inside, each of the three individuals brandished firearms and pointed them at employees. The conspirators demanded money but received none. Instead they took keys to the business and fled in a vehicle.

            On November 4, 2022, law enforcement arrested Chase at his apartment in Silver Spring, MD. During a search of his residence, agents recovered a loaded Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun with a magazine and 24 rounds of ammunition; a loaded .556 caliber machine gun capable of being fired fully automatically with a magazine containing 49 rounds of ammunition; a loaded .556 caliber AM-15 rifle with a magazine containing 25 rounds of ammunition; a .40 caliber magazine containing 9 rounds of ammunition; and 2 bags of marijuana intended for distribution.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and MPD's Carjacking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel and Matthew Kinskey.

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WASHINGTON – Isabella Giordano, 21, of Towson, Maryland, was sentenced today in federal court to six months of probation for spray painting graffiti on several pieces of federal property at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C., following a protest on July 24, 2024.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Courtland Rae of the Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division, and Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor of the U.S. Park Police (USPP).

            Giordano pleaded guilty to destruction of government property before U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg, who in addition to probation, ordered Giordano to pay $500 in restitution to the National Park Service.

            According to court documents, on July 24, 2024, an organization was granted a permit to demonstrate near Columbus Circle, located at Massachusetts Ave. NE, and E St. NE, directly in front of Union Station. From about 3 p.m. until 5 p.m., demonstrators who had gathered in Columbus Circle pulled down flags affixed to the flagpoles; burned flags and objects; sprayed graffiti on multiple statutes and structures; and interfered with law enforcement’s ability to place individuals under arrest.

            Footage obtained from a review of open-source videos posted to X (formerly Twitter) showed Giordano using red spray paint to write “Gaza” on the Columbus Fountain. She also spray-painted the base of two of the flagpoles in Columbus Circle. On July 30, 2024, the U.S. Park Police posted a bulletin with multiple photos and coordinated with the FBI in seeking information on five individuals who engaged in criminal activity on July 24, 2024. On August 1, 2024, USPP received two tips identifying Giordano.

            The flags pulled down from the flag poles, and the statutes and structures in Columbus Circle, are all property of the federal government. The National Park Service estimated that the cost to clean and repair the site at about $11,282.23.

            This case was investigated by the USPP’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Martin and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan.

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WASHINGTON – A Superior Court Jury found Nyjell Outler, 22, of Washington, D.C., guilty, yesterday, of voluntary manslaughter while armed for the March 2021 shooting death of 21-year-old Demetris Johnson on Madison Street NE, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In addition to the manslaughter charge, the jury found Outler guilty of aggravated assault while armed for the shooting of Daloni Williams. Superior Court Judge Jason Park scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2025.

            According to the evidence presented at trial, on March 20, 2021, Outler arrived at a gender-reveal party with an AK-style rifle (known as a “Draco”) in a backpack. He was at the party for a little more than a half hour before the shooting. After interacting with different guests throughout the evening, at approximately 7:43 p.m., he stepped away from the driveway of the home where he had been hanging out, pulled the Draco out of his backpack, held it at his right side, and returned to the driveway where Demetris Johnson, Daloni Williams, and another young man were standing. With dozens of other guests inside the house and in the fenced-in area just off the driveway, Outler approached with the gun. When Daloni Williams took a couple steps toward the defendant with his arm extended, as if to say, “put that away” the defendant raised the Draco and shot Daloni Williams twice, from point-blank range. The defendant then pivoted and pulled the trigger two more times as Demetris Johnson and the other young man on the driveway were trying to run away. One of the shots hit Demetris Johnson in the back. Outler then ran from the area. Demetris Johnson died in the backyard of the house hosting the gender reveal party. Daloni Williams spent nine days in the hospital after emergency surgery to save his leg and had to undergo months of physical therapy.

            At the time of the shooting, the defendant was wearing a GPS monitor due to an arrest for possessing another Draco in February 2021. About 2 hours after fleeing from 1 Madison St., he cut off his GPS. He was on the run for 11 months and was placed on the U.S. Marshal Service’s Top 15 most wanted list. Finally, in February 2022, the defendant was arrested in Florida following an anonymous tip.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and its task force officers for their diligent work in capturing the defendant. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Mabry Johnson and Sharon Newman, Victim/Witness Advocate Latrice Washington-Williams, Victim/Witness Service Coordinators Katina Adams Washington and Shanika McCullough, and Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Clark, Kristian Hinson, and Yasmin Emrani, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Antonio Johnson, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on March 18, 2025, to 204 months in prison for shooting Marcellus Jackson in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed in December 2024, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.  

            According to the charges, on June 20, 2024, Johnson and Mr. Jackson were outside of an apartment building at 4400 Hunt Place, Northeast, having a verbal argument, when Johnson pointed a loaded firearm at Mr. Jackson, told him to stop playing with him, and then shot him. The defendant then fled the scene.

            He was arrested on June 20, 2024, and has been in custody since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera and Victim/Witness Advocate Christie Bloodworth.

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

WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint, filed in the District of Columbia and unsealed today, charges Johnson Andre, aka “Izo,” a Haitian national and leader of the 5 Segond gang, for his alleged role in the March 2023 armed hostage taking, in Haiti, of a U.S. citizen who was held for ransom by Andre’s gang.

           The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the Miami Field Office.

           According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, Andre and the 5 Segond gang operate in Village de Dieu, Haiti, which is a town on the outskirts of the capital city Port-au-Prince. The gang actively participates in kidnappings for ransom and robberies, and uses the revenue generated from its criminal activity to pay salaries to its members and pay for weapons and ammunition from the United States and elsewhere.

           As leader of the 5 Segond gang, Andre issued a general order to his gang members to identify potential victims and kidnap them for ransom. On March 18, 2023, armed gang members forced the victim into a vehicle at gunpoint. The victim was taken to Village de Dieu where he was held in captivity for nine days during which he was beaten and burned with hot plastic. At one point, Andre visited the victim in captivity and engaged in ransom negotiations with the victim’s family. The victim was eventually released from captivity on March 27, 2023, following a ransom payment and other items of value that were provided to the gang.

           Andre remains at large and is believed to reside in Village de Dieu, Haiti. On December 8, 2023, Andre was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for his role in serious human rights abuse relating to his role as a leader of a criminal gang in Haiti pursuant to Executive Order 13818.

           If convicted, Andre faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

           This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Haiti and with valuable assistance from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack F. Korba with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Michael Watts for the District of Columbia.

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

WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging five former principals of aerospace start-up company Theia Group, Inc.—Erlend Olson, John Gallagher, Stephen Buscher, Joseph Fargnoli, and Jamil Swati—with a multi-year scheme to defraud investors and lenders out of $250 million, and further charging Olson with evading more than $3.9 million in personal federal income taxes. Theia Group, Inc. (Theia) had its headquarters in Washington D.C.

            Law enforcement made arrests yesterday in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Olson), Memphis, Tennessee (Buscher), and today in Broomall, Pennsylvania (Gallagher), Rochester, New York (Fargnoli), and Bridgeport, Connecticut (Swati). 

            The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey D. Pittano of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Office.

            According to the indictment, Theia planned to launch 112 satellites starting in 2022 at a cost of $10 billion to $15 billion. Theia’s principals originally planned to raise the requisite funds from various nation-states by promising perpetual data and analytics for an upfront cost of $2 billion. However, from Theia’s founding in 2015 through its placement into receivership in 2021, Theia was unsuccessful in obtaining any funding except for approximately $250 million in loans and investments that Theia’s principals induced by fraud. Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati’s fraud scheme allegedly included materially false statements about revenue from non-existent government contracts, provision of multiple false financial statements, including a fake $6 billion escrow account statement, and false representations about Theia’s technical capabilities.

            The indictment further alleges that, between 2018 and 2020, Theia’s founder, Erlend Olson, concealed from the IRS millions of dollars in compensation he received from Theia. In addition to not filing tax returns or paying any taxes for 2018 through 2020, Olson allegedly directed his compensation from Theia to a nominee entity called Meridian Vector Corporation (MVC). Olson then used MVC funds to pay personal expenses such as personal debts, a private jet membership, $64,500 annual rent payments for his home, a new Land Rover, and a pair of condominiums in Las Vegas. Olson also allegedly evaded payment of taxes that he owed the IRS for tax years 2009 through 2011 by directing that his pay and bonuses not be reported to the IRS.        

            Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Olson also is charged with five counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and four counts of tax evasion. Gallagher is also charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. Buscher also is charged with three counts of wire fraud. Fargnoli is also charged with two counts of wire fraud. Swati is also charged with one count of wire fraud.

            If convicted, Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati face up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy count, as well as up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud or mail fraud count. Each also face a period of supervised release, restitution, monetary penalties, and forfeiture. Olson faces up to five years in prison for each tax evasion count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            FDIC Office of Inspector General and IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca G. Ross, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold of the District of Columbia, Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis, and Trial Attorney Alexis Hughes of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

            An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

An indictment was unsealed today charging five former principals of Theia Group Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based aerospace start-up company, with conspiracy and fraud.

According to the indictment, Erlend Olson, John Gallagher, Stephen Buscher, Joseph Fargnoli, and Jamil Swati held various executive positions at the company, including chief executive officer, executive vice president, chief financial officer, chief technology officer, and head of strategic investment, respectively. They allegedly perpetrated a multi-year scheme to defraud investors and lenders out of $250 million, and Olson evaded more than $3.9 million in personal federal income taxes.

According to the indictment, Theia planned to launch 112 satellites starting in 2022 at a cost of $10 billion to $15 billion. Theia’s principals allegedly originally planned to raise the requisite funds from various nation-states by promising perpetual data and analytics for an upfront payment of $2 billion. However, from Theia’s founding in 2015 through its placement into receivership in 2021, Theia was allegedly unsuccessful in obtaining any funding except for approximately $250 million in loans and investments received from institutional and individual investors and lenders. To secure the funding, Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati’s fraud scheme allegedly included making materially false statements about revenue from non-existent government contracts, providing multiple false financial statements, including a fake $6 billion escrow account statement, and making false representations about Theia’s technical capabilities.

The indictment further alleges that the IRS assessed over a million dollars in taxes, penalties, and interest against Olson for tax years 2009 through 2011, which Olson acknowledged in 2018. Instead of paying the outstanding debt to the IRS, which he acknowledged he owed, Olson allegedly directed his compensation from Theia to a nominee entity. Olson then allegedly used the nominee entity to pay personal expenses such as a private jet membership, $64,500 annual rent payments for his home, a new Land Rover, personal debts, and a pair of condominiums in Las Vegas. Olson now allegedly owes $1.6 million to the IRS related to those years. In addition, Olson allegedly also used the nominee entity to conceal his income from the IRS for 2018 through 2020.

Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud for the overall scheme, and additionally charged with multiple wire or mail fraud counts arising from their various misrepresentations to investors. Olson is also charged with four counts of attempted tax evasion.

If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy and for each wire fraud or mail fraud count. Olson would face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each tax evasion count. Each would also face a period of supervised release, restitution, monetary penalties, and forfeiture. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the FDIC Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis and Trial Attorney Alexis Hughes of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Ross and Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

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

WASHINGTON – Ronald Butler, 44, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged today in D.C. Superior Court in relation to a March 11, 2025, assault on a group of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers in Southeast D.C. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Ronald Butler is charged with felony assault on a police officer. Butler turned himself into police custody this morning. Butler is the fifth defendant to be charged in relation to this matter. Previously charged are:

• Donte Butler, Sr., 47, of Washington, D.C., was charged with felony assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
• Donte Butler, Jr., 21, of Washington, D.C., was charged with misdemeanor assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
• Frederick Simms, 39, of Washington, D.C., was charged with misdemeanor assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
• Jermaine Irving, 21, of Washington, D.C., was charged with resisting arrest and consumption of marijuana in public.

            According to court documents, on March 11, at approximately 3:59 p.m., the MPD Seventh District’s Special Missions Unit made contact with a defendant allegedly consuming marijuana in public space in the 2600 block of Birney Place, Southeast. During that encounter, it is alleged that some of the defendants then assaulted the MPD officers.

            These charges are announced as part of Make D.C. Safe Again, a comprehensive public safety initiative designed to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia.

            The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Albi is prosecuting this case.

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

WASHINGTON - An indictment was unsealed yesterday in federal court in Washington D.C. charging Kelon Von Dukes, 20, with being a convicted felon in illegal possession a firearm and ammunition.

        The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr., Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

        According to court documents, on March 1, 2025, at 5:25 p.m., members of the MPD’s Seventh District Special Missions Unit were on patrol in the Seventh District. They were in full uniform in a fully marked cruiser near 4700 South Capitol Street SE. As officers drove on the 400 Block of Southern Avenue SE, they observed a man standing near a gas station smoking what appeared to be a marijuana cigarette. When the man noticed the officers, he allegedly fled and tossed the cigarette and a black bag.

        Officers pursued and apprehended the man on the 400 block of Southern Avenue. During a pat-down, an officer noted a solid, L-shaped object in the man’s left front pocket. It is alleged that the object was a loaded semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen.

        The man later was identified as Kelon Von Dukes, who has two prior felony convictions for carrying a pistol without a license and was on supervised probation at the time of his March 1 arrest.

        On March 11, Dukes was ordered to be detained pending trial by Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey.

        This case is being investigated by the MPD and the ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle McWaters.

        The case is being prosecuted as part of Make D.C. Safe Again, a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin to address gun violence in the District of Columbia.

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

View Dukes Indictment here: 

WASHINGTON – Hachikosela Muchimba, 44, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday on charges of mail theft and bank fraud that illegally netted him over $1.6 million, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Kathleen Woodson, of the U.S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General.

            The jury found Muchimba guilty of conspiracy to commit theft of mail and bank fraud, theft of mail; bank fraud; engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity, and unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2025, and detained the defendant until that time.

            According to court documents, between December 2020 and March 2023, Muchimba was an employee of the U.S. Postal Service when he executed a scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks and private party checks from the U.S. mail. Muchimba then deposited the checks, which he either altered and/or falsely endorsed, into bank accounts under his control.Muchimba altered some of the checks by removing the name of the proper payee on the checks and replacing it with his own name. Bank surveillance footage captured images of him making deposits and withdrawals of the funds. The total amount of the U.S. Treasury checks fraudulently deposited into Muchimba’s various bank accounts was just over $1.6 million.

            Muchimba used the proceeds of the stolen checks to fund a lavish lifestyle that included international travel, stays at luxury hotels, and purchases at gentlemen’s clubs.

            Muchimba was also found guilty at trial of unlawful procurement of naturalization.  During the scheme, Muchimba applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen and provided false information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers by telling them that he had not committed any crimes for which he had not been arrested.  That offense carries a maximum penalty of ten years of incarceration and possible administrative denaturalization.

            The maximum penalty for bank fraud is 30 years in prison; and for mail theft is five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. Muchimba’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The investigation into this matter was conducted by the U.S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorneys John Borchert and Diane Lucas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

23cr393

WASHINGTON – Jevaughn Mark, 33, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today in connection with a conspiracy that distributed large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in the metropolitan area, and included the sale of fentanyl that resulted in the December 2023 deaths of two District men.

            Mark, aka “Ledo,” pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine, and to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. before U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. Sentencing is scheduled for June 13, 2025.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Mark had been charged with eight counts of unlawful distribution (of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin) and distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl between January 10, 2024, and March 13, 2024. The charges stemmed from six controlled purchases in which undercover DEA and MPD taskforce officers (UC-DEA/MPD) contacted Mark and purchased narcotics. In each instance, the UC-DEA/MPD agents requested to buy “Special K” or ketamine. In every instance, he supplied a mixture of fentanyl and other substances, including heroin, but not ketamine.

            After obtaining an indictment, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Mark’s primary residence and recovered two firearms, cocaine, fentanyl, about $38,000 in cash, body armor vests, and drug trafficking paraphernalia.

            On June 13, 2024, Jevaughn Mark was charged in a second superseding indictment in connection with distributing fentanyl and cocaine on December 26, 2023, that resulted in the deaths of two men, Brandon Román and Robert Barletta, at their home in Northwest Washington. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Mark admitted to causing the death of both individuals by selling “ketamine” (which was actually fentanyl) to one victim who shared the drugs with the other victim. Both men were found unresponsive the day after Mark sold them the “ketamine.” 

            The case is being investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Dan Seidel, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) section.

24cr143

WASHINGTON – Christopher Rodriguez, 45, of Panama City, Fla., was sentenced today to 102 months in federal prison for the September 2023 attempted bombing near the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C., and for the November 2022 bombing of a satirical sculpture depicting communist leaders Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong in San Antonio, Texas.

           The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Division. 

           Rodriguez, a licensed Florida attorney and a U.S. Army veteran, pleaded guilty August 2, 2024, to damaging property occupied by a foreign government, explosive materials—malicious damage to federal property, and receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device). 

           In addition to the 102-month prison term, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg ordered Rodriguez to serve three years of supervised release.

           According to court documents, on September 23-24, 2023, Rodriguez drove from his home in Panama City, Fla., to Northern Virginia with a rifle and 15 pounds of explosive material. On the way, he stopped in Harrisonburg and Charlottesville, Va., to buy a black backpack, nitrile gloves, and a burner cell phone. On September 24, he parked his car in Arlington, Va., and used the burner phone to arrange for a taxi to drive him to within a few blocks of the Chinese Embassy. Between midnight and 3 a.m. near the back wall of the Embassy in Northwest Washington, Rodriguez placed the explosives-filled backpack next to a streetlight. Rodriguez then attempted to detonate the explosives by shooting at the backpack with a rifle. Rodriguez missed his target, and the device failed to detonate. Law enforcement officers later recovered the backpack containing explosive material, three shell casings, and bullet fragments from the ground along the outer perimeter wall of the Chinese Embassy. Impact marks were found on the Embassy wall near the bullet fragments behind the backpack.

           According to court documents, DNA obtained from the black backpack was found to be consistent with DNA evidence obtained from a previous arrest of Rodriguez in June 2021 in California. During the California incident, Rodriguez possessed three firearms and apparent explosive material consistent with the explosives used during the Chinese Embassy attack. DNA evidence obtained from Rodriguez pursuant to a buccal swab warrant later confirmed this DNA match.

         Between November 5 and 7, 2022, according to court documents, Rodriguez rented a vehicle in Pensacola, Fla., and drove to San Antonio, Texas. At about 2:25 a.m. on November 7, Rodriguez scaled an eight-foot fence to enter a courtyard on the 300 block of West Commerce Street, San Antonio. Inside the courtyard, he placed two canisters of explosive materials at the base of a satirical steel sculpture titled “Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin’s Head.” At 2:30 a.m., Rodriguez used a rifle to shoot at the canisters at the base of the statue, causing an explosion that caused damages of at least $325,000 to the Miss Mao sculpture.

Law enforcement arrested Rodriguez on November 4, 2023, in Lafayette, Louisiana. He has been held since that date. 

           This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Washington Field Division. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Florida, the Western District of Louisiana, and the Western District of Texas; the ATF’s Tampa, New Orleans, and Houston Field Divisions; the FBI’s Washington and San Antonio Field Offices; the San Antonio Field Office of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Secret Service, Uniformed Division and Foreign Missions Detective Unit; the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security; and the Metropolitan Police Department. 

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jolie F. Zimmerman and Stuart D. Allen. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maeghan Mikorski and Kelly Stephenson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McCarthy.

23cr392

WASHINGTON – Kelly Williams, 52, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on a seven-count indictment stemming from an armed attack on January 12, 2025, in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           A grand jury indicted Williams on March 12, 2025, on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed, malicious disfigurement while armed, aggravated assault while armed, and other related offenses. Arraignment is scheduled for March 27, 2025.

           According to the government’s evidence, on January 12, 2025, Williams followed the victim, a tourist from New Zealand, as the victim was walking past the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Williams approached the victim from behind, pulled her to the ground, and began punching the victim in the face. During the course of the attack, Williams pulled out a knife and repeatedly attempted to slash the victim’s neck, as the victim struggled to protect herself. During the attack, Williams stabbed the victim in the face, causing a serious wound requiring roughly 40 stitches. Williams reportedly ended the attack only after bystanders intervened.

           This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmanuel Hampton.

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

WASHINGTON – Jovon Hawkins, 25, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty, for causing the death of Appa, a 4-year-old Shih Tzu mix, on May 27, 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr.

            According to the government’s evidence, two local DC residents boarded their dog, a 4-year-old white Shih Tzu named Appa at City Dogs, a dog day care and boarding facility located at 301 H Street NE, Washington, D.C., over Memorial Day weekend in 2024. Hawkins, an employee of City Dogs, was alone in the facility on May 27, 2024. At approximately 7:40 p.m., Hawkins cornered Appa and a tan chihuahua that were sitting on a dog bed. Hawkins leaned over and reached towards the dogs. One of the dogs reacted by barking and the chihuahua fled from Hawkins. Hawkins then moved the dog bed out of the corner with his left foot and used his hands to brace himself against the wall and kicked Appa. As Appa yelped, Hawkins stomped on him, then kicked him again. Appa went silent. As a result of Hawkins’s actions, Appa died that night from blunt force trauma.

            Hawkins admitted guilt on March 3, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert Salerno scheduled sentencing for May 5, 2025. Hawkins faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

            This case was investigated by the Washington Humane Society and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hanley.

WASHINGTON – Marquita Holloman, 36, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with a stabbing that occurred in the 2400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, S.E. on September 13, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On March 11, 2025, Holloman pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed before the Honorable Michael Ryan, who scheduled sentencing for May 13, 2025.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 11:00 p.m. on September 13, 2023, Holloman and the victim got into a verbal argument while hanging out in the 2400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, S.E. After the argument had concluded, the victim walked away from Holloman and towards her daughter, who was also present in the block that night. Holloman got up from the chair she was seated in and lunged at the victim with a knife, stabbing the victim’s daughter in the neck in the process. Holloman then attacked the victim and stabbed her multiple times in the face and head. The victim and her daughter were both transported to local hospitals for treatment of their wounds. The victim suffered severe damage to her right eye that ultimately required surgery to remove the eye.

            MPD officers and detectives reviewed surveillance video footage of the stabbing from nearby Savoy Elementary school, which led to Holloman’s identification as the assailant. MPD detectives arrested Holloman on January 8, 2024, pursuant to an arrest warrant.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant United States Attorney Ella Gladman, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON – Michael Hilliard, 65, of no fixed address, was indicted today by a D.C. Superior Court grand jury on four felony accounts.  Specifically, he is charged with two counts of third-degree sexual abuse, felony offenses for forced sexual contacts, and two counts of enhanced misdemeanor sexual abuse, now also a felony, for engaging in a sexual contact within the victim’s permission having three or more prior convictions for misdemeanor sexual abuse.  The charges are in connection with an allegation that the defendant forcibly sexually touched a treating nurse at George Washington University Hospital, a stranger to him. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Hilliard is detained pending competency proceedings.

            According to charging documents, on September 26, 2024, the victim attempted to draw blood from Hilliard while he sat inside of a hospital room. Hilliard requested to sit on the bed to get his blood drawn. As the nurse attempted to adjust the bed rail, Hilliard grabbed her into a face-to-face bear hug. Having wrapped his arms around her, Hillard then reached down to grope her on her buttocks and genitalia.

            Hilliard has more than three prior convictions for misdemeanor sexual abuse. His most recent conviction occurred on December 19, 2023, when he was convicted of misdemeanor sexual abuse for sexually abusing a female stranger.

            Hilliard is the first individual indicted with enhanced misdemeanor sexual abuse, a felony created by the D.C. Council’s Secure D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024. Prior to the legislation going into effect, repeat offenders who committed sexual contacts or sexual acts when the offender knew or should have known the victim did not give permission for such contact/act, could not be charged with a felony, no matter how many times they were prosecuted, often for virtually identical misdemeanor sexual abuse conduct.  The new felony offense of enhanced misdemeanor sexual abuse is chargeable if the defendant has three or more prior convictions for misdemeanor sexual abuse.

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

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

##

WASHINGTON – Tyjuan McNeal, 27, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with the December 2023 burglary of 34 firearms from a Maryland pawn shop. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            McNeal pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 17, 2025.

            According to the court documents, on December 13, 2023, McNeal and at least four co-conspirators drove from Washington, D.C. to the A&D Pawn Shop, a Federal Firearms Licensee in Glen Burnie, Maryland. McNeal was wearing an ankle monitor that he had wrapped in aluminum foil.

            At the pawn shop, one of the co-conspirators used a portable saw to cut the locks on a pull-down security gate. Another co-conspirator then used a crowbar-type tool to pry open the main door. Once inside, the quintet grabbed an array of rifles, shotguns, and pistols from the shelves and display racks and fled with at least 34 of the firearms. The co-conspirators later used social media to advertise the sale of the stolen firearms.

            McNeal was arrested on March 22, 2024, with a Glock 29, 10 mm pistol and has been detained since. Co-defendants Vincent Lee Alston, 23, and Niquan Odum, 23, pleaded guilty March 6, 2025, Alston, aka “Vedo,” pleaded to one count of conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Odumn, aka “Stickz,” pleaded to conspiracy to commit theft from a firearms licensee and to possession of stolen firearms. Juwon Markel Anderson, 22, aka “Peezy,” pleaded guilty March 4 to conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking.

            This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the ATF Baltimore Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes.        

23cr452   

WASHINGTON – Shelvin Jovan Barnes, 33, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute illegal designer drugs. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck of Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Division.

            Barnes, aka “Nuke,” pleaded guilty on December 6, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute ADB-BUTINACA, attempted possession with intent to distribute N,N-dimethylpentylone; and unlawful possession of a firearm (intrafamily offense). In addition to the 36-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan ordered Barnes to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, the government’s investigation into Barnes began as part of a broader investigation into the shipment of narcotics and precursor chemicals from China. HSI seized a package on May 8, 2024, addressed to a residence on the 300 block of L Street, Southeast. The package contained 122 grams of N,N-dimethylpentylone or “dipentylone,” also known as “Boot.” Before delivering the package, law enforcement removed the dipentylone and replaced it with a sham substance.

            After an undercover agent delivered the package to Barnes’ residence, law enforcement executed a search warrant and recovered several bags of bulk mixtures containing powder and rock-like substance. Some of these gallon-sized bags were marked with the word “Booka”, which Barnes admitted was similar to the synthetic drug “K2.” Subsequent lab testing found that there was approximately 1,195 grams of ADB-BUTINACA, kept in various zip-lock bags labeled with the weight of the drugs.

            In addition to the drugs, agents also recovered several items often associated with drug manufacturing, including a digital scale, protective gear such as industrial gas masks and rubber gloves, a 35-pound box of tea leaves, and 16 gallons of Acetone. Agents also recovered a loaded Beretta 9mm pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition under the mattress in Barnes’ bedroom, along with several boxes containing more powder and rock-like mixtures. At the time of his arrest, Barnes was on probation stemming from a misdemeanor assault case and had been ordered not to possess a firearm just weeks prior to being arrested.

            This case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) team. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris McCranie and Trial Attorney Ernesto Alvarado.

24cr231

WASHINGTON – Michael Robinson, 34, and Kemanye Williams, 25, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to their roles in a series of seven inside-job robberies of the Walgreens drug store in the District’s Chinatown neighborhood.

            The pleas were announced United States Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Michael Robinson, who was a store manager at the Walgreens, and Williams each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and aiding and abetting. In addition, Williams pleaded guilty to a second count of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

            Two other co-conspirators entered pleas last month. Gianni Robinson, 27, pleaded guilty on February 28 to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and aiding and abetting. London Teeter, 21, who was also employed at the Walgreen’s as a store manager, pleaded guilty February 13, to her role in the inside-job robberies.

            The four defendants are each eligible for up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine when they are sentenced. The Honorable Jia M. Cobb scheduled a June 10 sentencing date for Michael Robinson. Kemanye Williams, Gianni Robinson,  and London Teeter will be sentenced on June 12.

            According to court documents, the four co-conspirators devised a scheme to carry out armed robberies of the Walgreens store in Chinatown nearly once a month, beginning in July 2023, when either Michael Robinson or Teeter were working. As a store managers, Michael Robinson and Teeter knew the timing of cash transfers within the business. The co-conspirators would also relay information to each other on how many armed security guards were present in the Chinatown Walgreens and how much cash was in the Manager’s Office at any given time. 

            When Michael Robinson was on duty, he gave the inside information to his nephew, Gianni Robinson, who then relayed it to Williams so that Williams could more easily rob the Walgreens.

            The robberies occurred on July 18, 2023, August 2, 2023, September 2, 2023, November 10, 2023, December 4, 2023, January 9, 2024, and February 11, 2024. In their plea agreements, the co-defendants admitted that they stole and split at least $28,983.

            In each robbery, Williams entered the Chinatown Walgreens wearing clothing selected to disguise his identity. Williams brandished a firearm at employees of the Walgreens, and at Special Police Officers assigned to guard the store, and then demanded business proceeds located in the Manager’s Office. Williams forced employees into the manager’s office or accessed the manager’s office using a code provided by Michael Robinson or Teeter. Williams then robbed the employees and fled through a rear exit.

            Michael Robinson and Teeter took turns pretending to be the “victim” manager on duty, knowing that the robberies would be captured on internal surveillance.

            Michael Robinson later admitted that he and Teeter reviewed internal surveillance footage of the robbery that occurred on August 2, 2023, and later discussed over text message as to how to make future robberies look more authentic. Michael Robinson asked Williams to assault him during the robberies to make the robberies look more real.

            In response to the robberies, the Chinatown Walgreens hired armed Special Police Officers to protect the business.

            On February 12, 2024, law enforcement searched the residence where Gianni Robinson and Teeter lived. Officers recovered a loaded Glock 45 pistol loaded with 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition from the bedroom floor.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin F. Song and Sarah Martin, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Svetoslavov of the Federal Major Crimes Section.

24cr96

WASHINGTON –   Guy Johnson, 57, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a Superior Court jury of five charges, including second-degree murder while armed, in connection with a March 2020 homicide in Southeast, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Superior Court Judge Danya A. Dayson presided over the trial where the jury found Johnson guilty of one count each of second-degree murder while armed, assault with the intent to kill while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm, as well as two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 3:17 a.m., on March 25, 2020, defendant Johnson shot multiple times into a white Kia Forte occupied by 28-year-old Kriston Robinson and the surviving victim. One of the shots struck the decedent in the head killing her nearly instantly. The surviving victim fled from the car and escaped injury. 

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including former Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Kimak.

           It was tried and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Evans and Anthony Cocuzza.

WASHINGTON – Marcel Vines, 28, and Malique Lewis, 27, both members of the violent Clay Terrace crew, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court to life plus 60 years in prison for the kidnappings and murders of two innocent victims in retaliation for a slaying in which the victims were not involved.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County (MD) Police Department.

            Following a four-week trial Vines, aka “Baby Boy” or “B.Y.,” and Lewis, aka “Freak,” each were found guilty by a federal jury on August 19, 2024, of  kidnapping resulting in death; conspiracy to commit kidnapping; unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; two counts of kidnapping while armed; two counts of first degree murder while armed—felony murder with aggravating circumstances; first degree murder while armed (premeditated) with aggravating circumstances; and five counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, Lewis and Vines conspired with a third co-defendant to kidnap and kill Armani Nico Coles and Kerrice Lewis, who has no relation to defendant Lewis, out of a desire for revenge.

            Earlier that day, a friend of Armani Coles and Kerrice Lewis had shot and killed the defendants’ friend, Ronzay Green. The defendants knew who killed Green and decided to retaliate against that man, travelling across the city to his neighborhood to look for him. At around 2 p.m., just three hours after Green’s death, they drove past a gas station where Kerrice Lewis was pumping gas into her blue Lexus. Vines recognized her and the defendants followed her as she drove away.

            At 2:45 p.m., at an AutoZone parking lot in the 900 block of Longfellow Street Northwest, the defendants kidnapped Kerrice Lewis. Armed with an assault rifle and a .45 caliber firearm, Lewis and Vines held Ms. Lewis in the backseat of her own vehicle at gunpoint to lure the man they believed had killed their friend.

            Unsuccessful, the defendants then used Ms. Lewis’ phone to lure Armani Coles to a location near First and Kennedy Streets Northwest, believing Mr. Coles could lead them to the man responsible for Green’s slaying. At approximately 6 p.m., the defendants kidnapped Nico Coles. They forced Mr. Coles into the backseat of Ms. Lewis’ car and forced Ms. Lewis into the trunk of her own car. As the defendants drove Ms. Lewis’ vehicle towards their Clay Terrace neighborhood, they encountered traffic on Interstate 295 in Maryland.

            When the defendants hit traffic on I-295, at approximately 6:20 p.m., Mr. Coles attempted to flee. The defendants shot him in the abdomen and the back—one gunshot wound from the .45 and one gunshot wound from the Draco—and then shoved his body out of the car, dragging his face along the highway asphalt as they continued to drive, ultimately pushing him onto the highway, and leaving him there to die.

            An hour later, the defendants drove Ms. Lewis’ vehicle, with Ms. Lewis still confined in her trunk, to an alley behind the 800 block of Adrian Street Southeast. The defendants then opened the trunk, shot Ms. Lewis at least 13 times, and set her remains and her vehicle on fire, before fleeing the scene.

            Analysis of the ballistic evidence from both scenes indicated that the same two firearms, a .45 caliber and a 7.62 mm caliber, were used to kill both victims. Additionally, law enforcement recovered fingerprints from an item that was pushed out of Ms. Lewis’ car along with Mr. Coles’ body. Analysis of those fingerprints identified two prints as belonging to Vines. The night after the murders, Lewis was captured on video at a McDonald’s drive-through, driving Mr. Coles’ missing vehicle. Shortly after the murders, Lewis also made statements, via text, bragging about them by sending news articles about the murders, and saying, “we ain’t done.”

            Lewis and Vines were both arrested on January 5, 2018, on unrelated charges. Shortly thereafter, Lewis was charged by Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office with the murder of Mr. Coles. In August 2018, Lewis and Vines were charged in D.C. Superior Court with both murders. The case was removed to federal court on May 23, 2019. Both defendants have been in custody since their arrest in January 2018.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, with additional assistance provided by the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberley Nielsen, George Eliopoulos, and Colleen Kukowski of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

19cr166

WASHINGTON – Elvis Mauricio Maradiaga, 23, of Bladensburg, Maryland, was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison for his participation in a violent, transnational criminal enterprise known as the 18th Street gang.  Maradiaga was one of the last of 11 other defendants sentenced for crimes related to their involvement in 18th Street. His sentencing marks the conclusion of a sprawling, multi-year investigation into the gang’s criminal activities throughout DMV-area and abroad.

            In sum, in February 2023, a grand jury returned an indictment against 12 of the 18th Street members, charging them with participating in a years’ long racketeering conspiracy as well as with murders, attempted murders, and kidnapping.  Of the 12 charged defendants, six proceeded to trial in April and May 2024 before the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden, were found guilty by a jury of nearly every offense with which they were charged, and were each sentenced to life imprisonment. Five defendants pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from 96 to 480 months in prison.

            The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, ICE Deputy Director Russ Hott of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The 18th Street organization engages in a variety of criminal activities abroad and throughout the United States, including in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Its activities include acts of murder, kidnapping, assault, robbery, witness intimidation, and firearms and narcotics trafficking to fuel the gang’s violent operations. The gang is active throughout Central and South America, particularly in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It uses violence to maintain control over specific geographical areas.

            “The sentencing of these violent criminals should send a clear message: transnational gangs like 18th Street have no place in our communities and we will not tolerate the brutality, fear, and lawlessness they spread,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. “Through relentless cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement, we are dismantling these dangerous organizations piece by piece. Our commitment to public safety is unwavering, and we will continue to pursue and prosecute those who threaten our neighborhoods with violence and crime.”

            According to court documents, members of 18th Street are required to commit acts of violence to further the interests of the gang and to maintain or increase their status within it. These violent acts are often directed against rival gang members, 18th Street members who violate gang rules or otherwise disrespect the gang, and persons who are suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. Additionally, 18th Street members sell and transport narcotics, weapons, and other contraband to generate money to support the gang and its criminal activities. Some of the proceeds of this criminal activity are wired to members of the gang’s leadership in other countries. 18th Street members control geographical areas and use violence to maintain their control.

            18th Street – which was founded in Los Angeles and now includes up to 50,000 members – is organized into “cliques,” or smaller groups operating within specific cities or regions under the umbrella rules of 18th Street. Such cliques include the Tiny Locos Sureños (TLS), Los Crazy Brothers (LCB), and the Revolucionarios. 

           This investigation began in 2019 and covered the full breadth of criminal activity 18th Street was involved in within the greater D.C. metropolitan area. Ultimately, numerous 18th Street gang members were arrested as part of the investigation and either pled guilty or were found guilty at trial in May 2024.  Regarding these sentences in particular, the charges focused on the shooting and attempted murder of C.H. on May 21, 2021, within the 5700 block of 14th Street NW, Washington, DC; the kidnapping and execution of Carlos Ramos Martinez on July 14, 2021, in a wooded area off the side of I-95 in Elkton, MD; and the murder of Danis Alcides Salgado Mata on December 19, 2021, in Rockville, MD as well as the attempted murders of his mother and stepfather.  The sentences also included defendants who pled guilty to participating in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization (RICO) related to their involvement and knowledge of kidnappings, robberies, weapons trafficking, and narcotic trafficking committed at the behest of the gang.

            A final defendant, Milton Benjamin Guevara-Villatoro, has been extradited from El Salvador and is pending trial on two indictments related to his alleged involvement in a shooting at the Petworth Metro Station on September 17, 2019, and the murder of Carlos Ramos Martinez.

            This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

            The case was investigated by the Northern Virginia Safe Streets Task Force, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement Removal Operations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department. The District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and the Montgomery County, Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack F. Korba, Will Hart, and Sitara Witanachchi and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gilead Light and Christopher Marin.     

18th STREET DEFENDANTS

NAME

AGE

AKA

CLIQUE

CHARGES/SENTENCES

Jose Santos Alvarado-Velasquez,

Takoma Park, MD

24

“Vago”

Los Crazy Brothers

Gerlin Neptali Diaz-Lopez

Washington, D.C.

23

“Sicario”

Tiny Locos Sureños

Jose Anselmo Ibarra-Cristales

Beltsville, MD

24

“Chemo”

Carlos Rolando Martinez-Mora

Hyattsville, MD

25

“Crosty”

Bradley Andree Martinez-Mora

Hyattsville, MD

22

“Joker”

Jexon Madrid-Flores

Boston, MA

23

“Spooky”

Sentenced October 11, 2024, to 20 years in prison for RICO-conspiracy; and life in prison for conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death; also sentenced to 20 years for

VICAR-assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW); 204 months for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence; 120 months for VICAR-attempted murder; and 80 months for aggravated assault while armed

Bryan Delfino Vasquez-Izara

Washington, DC

22

“Smokey”

Elvis Mauricio Maradiaga

Bladensburg, MD

23

“Smokey”

Carlos Giovani Linares Boteo

Hyattsville, MD

“Tiny”

Cesar De la O Rodriguez

Washington, DC

“Lunatico”

Emerson Aguirre-Morales[1]

Washington, DC

“Mota”

[1] Aguirre-Morales was initially charged by Information in 22-cr-218 as a juvenile.  As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to be charged as an adult.

###

23cr43

22cr190

22cr218
 

[1] Aguirre-Morales was initially charged by Information in 22-cr-218 as a juvenile.  As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to be charged as an adult.

WASHINGTON – Vincent Lee Alston, 23, of Washington D.C. and Niquan Odum, 23, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in connection with the December 2023 burglary of 34 firearms from a Maryland pawn shop.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department

            Alston, aka “Vedo,” pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Odumn, aka “Stickz,” pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft from a firearms licensee and to possession of stolen firearms. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled a sentencing hearing for Alston on June 27, 2025 and for Odumn on June 13, 2025. Alston was arrested on December 15, 2023, and has been detained since. Odumn was arrested on March 25, 2024, and has been detained since.

            Co-conspirator Juwon Markel Anderson, aka “Peezy,” 22, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty on March 4 to conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Others charged in the conspiracy are Cy’Juan Hemsley, 18, of District Heights, Maryland, and Tyjuan McNeal, 28, of Washington, D.C.

            According to the court documents, on December 13, 2023, the co-conspirators drove from Washington, D.C. to the A&D Pawn Shop, a Federal Firearms Licensee, in Glen Burnie, Maryland. At the pawn shop, one of the co-conspirators used a portable saw to cut the locks on a pull-down security gate. Another co-conspirator then used a crowbar-type tool to pry open the main door. Once inside, the quintet grabbed an array of rifles, shotguns, and pistols from the shelves and display racks and fled with at least 34 of the firearms. The co-conspirators later used social media to advertise the sale of the stolen firearms.  Two days after the burglary, on December 15, 2023, Alston was arrested with one of the stolen firearms.

            This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the ATF Baltimore Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes.     

23cr452

WASHINGTON – Javon Roach, 20, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to his role in a spree of violent armed carjackings and armed robberies perpetrated against 17 victims across Washington D.C. in early 2023.

            The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Roach pleaded guilty to three counts of carjacking and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for June 27, 2025. He is subject to a mandatory minimum of 14 years in prison and facing a sentence up to 20.5 years when he is sentenced.

            According to court documents, Roach admitted to perpetrating six armed carjackings and five armed robberies between March 6 and March 28, 2023. In these incidents, Roach used firearms to threaten 16 victims and steal their property. Roach’s prior conviction in Fairfax County, Virginia, for possession of a machinegun and assault of a police officer resulted from his arrest on March 30, 2023. As part of this spree, Roach led police on a high-speed chase in a carjacked vehicle, rammed into police vehicles, and was ultimately arrested with a handgun with a machine gun conversion device attachment on his person.

            This case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Duvall.

24cr349

WASHINGTON – Jennifer Brunenkant, 68, of Washington, DC, was charged today in a 19-count indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court with evading and failing to pay federal income and employment taxes associated with her business Herbal Alternatives II, LLC, which at all relevant times operated a marijuana dispensary that was licensed in the District of Columbia.  The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s Washington D.C. Office.

           According to the indictment, Brunenkant owned and operated Herbal Alternatives in the District from at least 2013 to 2021.  During that time, Herbal Alternatives generated millions of dollars in revenue. The indictment alleges that because Herbal Alternatives was a sole proprietorship with Brunenkant as the sole owner, the income that Brunenkant earned from Herbal Alternatives should have been reported on her annual IRS Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, that was used by United States taxpayers to file individual income tax returns.  It is alleged that instead of filing her federal income tax returns, from at least tax years 2018 to 2021, Brunenkant failed to make an income tax return and to pay income tax to the IRS, and in fact willfully attempted to evade and defeat the income tax due and owing by her to the United States. During those years, Brunenkant failed to pay approximately $800,000 in federal income taxes.

          The indictment further alleges that Brunenkant employed dozens of employees at Herbal Alternatives.  Under federal tax laws, Brunenkant was required to collect, account for, and pay over to the IRS on behalf of Herbal Alternatives the employment taxes imposed on its employees by the Internal Revenue Code.  According to the indictment, Brunenkant failed to pay over to the IRS approximately $130,000 in such employment taxes that were owed during the charged tax years.

           Tax evasion and failure to pay over employment taxes each carry a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison.  The charges also carry potential financial penalties.  The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

           The case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Brian Kelly is prosecuting the case.

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

##

25-cr-056 

            Kalynn Fields, 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with filing false and misleading information in order to reap $35,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

           The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           Fields, a former patrol officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The Honorable Trevor P. McFadden presided over the guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for June 20, 2025.

           According to court documents, Fields used two companies, founded in May and June 2022, to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and a Paycheck Protection Program Loan. At the time, Fields was employed by the MPD. Although Fields was required to report any outside business venture to MPD pursuant to MPD policies, Fields failed to do so. Neither company had a legitimate purpose, and each was created only to obtain EIDL and PPP loans.  There were numerous false and fraudulent misrepresentations in the loan applications. As a result of the false information provided Fields received loans worth $35,000, which were later forgiven.

           This case was investigated by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, the FBI Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

           The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca G. Ross.

25cr43

WASHINGTON - Traquon Demonte McCalip, 21, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 114 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a Canik T9SF Elite 9mm handgun and using it to shoot a victim in the middle of the day at a busy fast-food restaurant parking lot on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue NE.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean T. Ryan of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            McCalip pleaded guilty on August 23, 2024, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and to aggravated assault while armed. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered McCalip to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on March 20, 2024, McCalip approached an individual standing in a fast-food parking lot on the 3900-block of Minnesota Avenue NE, and claimed that he wanted to buy cigarettes from him. After discussing cigarette prices, McCalip attempted to take the individual’s bag. McCalip then drew his loaded, concealed handgun and shot the individual in the abdomen. As a struggle ensued between McCalip and the victim, McCalip spotted a marked police vehicle that had arrived on scene. McCalip took his firearm’s magazine that had fallen out of his gun, and fled in a vehicle that he had parked in the lot with his firearm’s magazine but left behind his firearm. Police chased McCalip and ultimately arrested him near 1805 Bladensburg Road NE. Officers recovered the firearm magazine and ammunition on the driver’s seat of the car McCalip was driving.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor of the Department of Justice.

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Note: View the indictments in U.S. v. Wu Haibo et al., U.S. v. Yin Kecheng, U.S. v. Zhou Shuai et al. here.

The Justice Department, FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Departments of State and the Treasury announced today their coordinated efforts to disrupt and deter the malicious cyber activities of 12 Chinese nationals, including two officers of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Ministry of Public Security (MPS), employees of an ostensibly private PRC company, Anxun Information Technology Co. Ltd. (安洵信息技术有限公司) also known as “i-Soon,” and members of Advanced Persistent Threat 27 (APT27).

These malicious cyber actors, acting as freelancers or as employees of i-Soon, conducted computer intrusions at the direction of the PRC’s MPS and Ministry of State Security (MSS) and on their own initiative. The MPS and MSS paid handsomely for stolen data. Victims include U.S.-based critics and dissidents of the PRC, a large religious organization in the United States, the foreign ministries of multiple governments in Asia, and U.S. federal and state government agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) in late 2024.

“The Department of Justice will relentlessly pursue those who threaten our cybersecurity by stealing from our government and our people,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today, we are exposing the Chinese government agents directing and fostering indiscriminate and reckless attacks against computers and networks worldwide, as well as the enabling companies and individual hackers that they have unleashed. We will continue to fight to dismantle this ecosystem of cyber mercenaries and protect our national security.”

“The FBI is committed to protecting Americans from foreign cyber-attacks,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Today’s announcements reveal that the Chinese Ministry of Public Security has been paying hackers-for-hire to inflict digital harm on Americans who criticize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). To those victims who bravely came forward with evidence of intrusions, we thank you for standing tall and defending our democracy. And to those who choose to aid the CCP in its unlawful cyber activities, these charges should demonstrate that we will use all available tools to identify you, indict you, and expose your malicious activity for all the world to see.”

According to court documents, the MPS and MSS employed an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement. In some cases, the MPS and MSS paid private hackers in China to exploit specific victims. In many other cases, the hackers targeted victims speculatively. Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. The result of this largely indiscriminate approach was more worldwide computer intrusion victims, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third-parties. Additional information regarding the indictments and the PRC’s hacker-for-hire ecosystem is available in Public Service Announcements published by the FBI today.

U.S. v. Wu Haibo et al., Southern District of New York

Today, a federal court in Manhattan unsealed an indictment charging eight i-Soon employees and two MPS officers for their involvement, from at least in or around 2016 through in or around 2023, in the numerous and widespread hacking of email accounts, cell phones, servers, and websites. The Department also announced today the court-authorized seizure of the primary internet domain used by i-Soon to advertise its business.

“State-sponsored hacking is an acute threat to our community and national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky for the Southern District of New York. “For years, these 10 defendants — two of whom we allege are PRC officials — used sophisticated hacking techniques to target religious organizations, journalists, and government agencies, all to gather sensitive information for the use of the PRC. These charges will help stop these state-sponsored hackers and protect our national security. The career prosecutors of this office and our law enforcement partners will continue to uncover alleged state-sponsored hacking schemes, disrupt them, and bring those responsible to justice.”

The defendants remain at large and wanted by the FBI. Concurrent with today’s announcement,  the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The reward is offered for the following individuals who are alleged to have worked in various capacities to direct or carry out i-Soon’s malicious cyber activity:

• Wu Haibo (吴海波), Chief Executive Officer
• Chen Cheng (陈诚), Chief Operating Officer
• Wang Zhe (王哲), Sales Director
• Liang Guodong (梁国栋), Technical Staff
• Ma Li (马丽), Technical Staff
• Wang Yan (王堰), Technical Staff
• Xu Liang (徐梁), Technical Staff
• Zhou Weiwei (周伟伟), Technical Staff
• Wang Liyu (王立宇), MPS Officer
• Sheng Jing (盛晶), MPS Officer

i-Soon and its employees, to include the defendants, generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue as a key player in the PRC’s hacker-for-hire ecosystem. In some instances, i-Soon conducted computer intrusions at the request of the MSS or MPS, including cyber-enabled transnational repression at the direction of the MPS officer defendants. In other instances, i-Soon conducted computer intrusions on its own initiative and then sold, or attempted to sell, the stolen data to at least 43 different bureaus of the MSS or MPS in at least 31 separate provinces and municipalities in China. i-Soon charged the MSS and MPS between approximately $10,000 and $75,000 for each email inbox it successfully exploited. i-Soon also trained MPS employees how to hack independently of i-Soon and offered a variety of hacking methods for sale to its customers.

The defendants’ U.S.-located targets included a large religious organization that previously sent missionaries to China and was openly critical of the PRC government and an organization focused on promoting human rights and religious freedom in China. In addition, the defendants targeted multiple news organizations in the United States, including those that have opposed the CCP or delivered uncensored news to audiences in Asia, including China and the New York State Assembly, one of whose representatives had communicated with members of a religious organization banned in China.

The defendants’ foreign-located targets included a religious leader and his office, and a Hong Kong newspaper that i-Soon considered as being opposed to the PRC government. The defendants also targeted the foreign ministries of Taiwan, India, South Korea, and Indonesia.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan B. Finkel, Steven J. Kochevar, and Kevin Mead for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.

U.S. v. Yin Kecheng and U.S. v. Zhou Shuai et al., District of Columbia

Today, a federal court unsealed two indictments charging APT27 actors Yin Kecheng (尹可成) and Zhou Shuai (周帅) also known as “Coldface” for their involvement in the multi-year, for-profit computer intrusion campaigns dating back, in the case of Yin, to 2013. The Department also announced today court-authorized seizures of internet domains and computer server accounts used by Yin and Zhou to facilitate their hacking activity.

The defendants remain at large. View the FBI’s Wanted posters for Shuai and Kecheng here.

Concurrent with today’s announcement, the Department of States State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is announcing two reward offers under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $2 million each for information leading to the arrests and convictions, in any country, of malicious cyber actors Yin Kecheng and Zhou Shuai, both Chinese nationals residing in China.

“These indictments and actions show this office’s long-standing commitment to vigorously investigate and hold accountable Chinese hackers and data brokers who endanger U.S. national security and other victims across the globe,” said Interim U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia. “The defendants in these cases have been hacking for the Chinese government for years, and these indictments lay out the strong evidence showing their criminal wrongdoing. We again demand that the Chinese government to put a stop to these brazen cyber criminals who are targeting victims across the globe and then monetizing the data they have stolen by selling it across China.”

The APT27 group to which Yin and Zhou belong is also known to private sector security researchers as “Threat Group 3390,” “Bronze Union,” “Emissary Panda,” “Lucky Mouse,” “Iron Tiger,” “UTA0178,” “UNC 5221,” and “Silk Typhoon.” As alleged in court documents, between August 2013 and December 2024, Yin, Zhou, and their co-conspirators exploited vulnerabilities in victim networks, conducted reconnaissance once inside those networks, and installed malware, such as PlugX malware, that provided persistent access. The defendants and their co-conspirators then identified and stole data from the compromised networks by exfiltrating it to servers under their control. Next, they brokered stolen data for sale and provided it to various customers, only some of whom had connections to the PRC government and military. For example, Zhou sold data stolen by Yin through i-Soon, whose primary customers, as noted above, were PRC government agencies, including the MSS and the MPS.

The defendants’ motivations were financial and, because they were profit-driven, they targeted broadly, rendering victim systems vulnerable well beyond their pilfering of data and other information that they could sell. Between them, Yin and Zhou sought to profit from the hacking of numerous U.S.-based technology companies, think tanks, law firms, defense contractors, local governments, health care systems, and universities, leaving behind them a wake of millions of dollars in damages.

The documents related to the seizure warrants, also unsealed today, further allege that Yin and Zhou continued to engage in hacking activity, including Yin’s involvement in the recently announced hack of Treasury between approximately September and December 2024. Virtual private servers used to conduct the Treasury intrusion belonged to, and were controlled by, an account that Yin and his co-conspirators established. Yin and his co-conspirators used that same account and other linked accounts they controlled to lease servers used for additional malicious cyber activity. The seizure warrant unsealed today allowed the FBI to seize the virtual private servers and other infrastructure used by the defendants to perpetrate these crimes.

On Jan. 17, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Yin for his role in hacking that agency between September and December 2024. Concurrent with today’s indictments, OFAC also announced sanctions on Zhou and Shanghai Heiying Information Technology Company Ltd., a company operated by Zhou for purposes of his hacking activity.

Private sector partners are also taking voluntary actions to raise awareness and strengthen defenses against the PRC’s malicious cyber activity. Today, Microsoft published research that highlights its unique, updated insights into Silk Typhoon tactics, techniques, and procedures specifically its targeting of the IT supply chain.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack F. Korba and Tejpal S. Chawla for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Tanner Kroeger of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.

***

The above disruptive actions targeting PRC malicious cyber activities were the result of investigations conducted by FBI New York and Washington Field Offices, FBI Cyber Division, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of New York and District of Columbia and the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.

The Department acknowledges the value of public-private partnerships in combating advanced cyber threats and recognizes Microsoft, Volexity, PwC, and Mandiant for their valuable assistance in these investigations.

The details in the above-described indictments and warrants are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – A federal judge in Washington, D.C., today, unsealed two separate indictments that allege Chinese nationals Yin Kecheng, 38, (尹 可成) a/k/a “YKC” (“YIN”) and Zhou Shuai, 45, (周帅) a/k/a “Coldface” (“ZHOU”) violated various federal statutes by participating in years-long, sophisticated computer hacking conspiracies that successfully targeted a wide variety of U.S.-based victims from 2011 to the present-day. According to the documents unsealed today, the defendants targeted a multitude of U.S. victim companies, municipalities, and organizations for profit, causing millions of dollars’ worth of damages. YIN and ZHOU, who have ties to the government of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), are alleged to have stolen and exfiltrated data from numerous U.S.-based technology companies, think tanks, defense contractors, government municipalities, and universities that they later brokered for sale. Arrest warrants have been issued for YIN and ZHOU, who both remain fugitives.

            The unsealing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is part of the coordinated effort by Department of Justice (the “Department”), other U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the U.S. Department of Treasury (“Treasury”), and private sector partners that highlights the Chinese government’s unique role in intentionally promoting and protecting the wide-scale computer hacking activity by its citizens. According to court documents unsealed today, the PRC Ministry of Public Security (“MPS”) and Ministry of State Security (“MSS”) directed or financed Chinese hackers, such as the defendants, to conduct computer intrusions against high-value targets in the United States and elsewhere. Victims include U.S.-based critics and dissidents of the PRC, a large religious organization in the United States, the foreign ministries of multiple governments in Asia, and U.S. federal and state government agencies, including most recently in 2024.

            According to court documents, the MPS and MSS employed an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s direct involvement. By employing these hackers-for-hire, the PRC government further allowed these same hackers to profit by committing additional computer intrusions around the world with impunity, and then to sell stolen data through Chinese data brokers. The PRC government’s state-sponsorship and protection of these hackers resulted in the loss of sensitive, valuable and personal identification information that was a direct harm to U.S. entities and other foreign governments and victims.

            In conjunction with the unsealing, the Department announced the judicially authorized seizure of internet domains linked to YIN that he used in facilitating the conspiracy’s network intrusion activity. In addition, the Department announced the judicially authorized seizure of a Virtual Private Server (“VPS”) account linked to ZHOU that he used to facilitate network intrusion activity. In conjunction with these actions, the Treasury announced sanctions against ZHOU and his company Shanghai Heiying Information Technology company, Limited (“Shanghai Heiying”).  YIN was previously sanctioned for his role in the recent Treasury network compromise in January 2025.

“These indictments and actions show this Office’s long-standing commitment to vigorously investigate and hold accountable Chinese hackers and data brokers who endanger U.S. national security and other victims across the globe,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. “The defendants in these cases have been hacking for the Chinese government for years, and these indictments lay out the strong evidence showing their criminal wrongdoing. We, again, demand that the Chinese government put a stop to these brazen cyber criminals who are targeting victims across the globe and then monetizing the data they have stolen by selling it across China.”

            “The defendants allegedly waged a yearslong hacking campaign against U.S.-based organizations to steal their data and sell it to various customers, some of whom had connections to the Chinese government,” said FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today's indictment is the first step toward bringing these perpetrators to justice for endangering U.S. national security and causing significant financial losses for both U.S. and foreign companies. The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue these hostile cyber actors to the full extent of the law.”

            “The defendants’ years-long hacking conspiracy to steal data from Cleared Defense Contractors that support the U.S. military—among many other U.S.-based victims—and sell it to customers with ties to the Chinese government poses a significant threat to our national security,” said NCIS Cyber Operations Field Office Special Agent in Charge Josh Stanley. “NCIS remains committed to working with the FBI and our law enforcement partners around the world to expose malicious actors who seek to undermine the cybersecurity of the Department of the Navy.”

            “The Department of State appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with the Department of Treasury, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in announcing today’s actions,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). “With reward offers up to $2 million each for malicious cyber actors Zhou Shuai and Yin KeCheng under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, we ask the public to contact the FBI with tips to help bring these cybercriminals to justice.”

Overview

            Today’s announcement reflects nearly a decade-long effort by the Department and the FBI.   The action targets actors that various security researchers have historically referred to as “APT27,” “Threat Group 3390,” “Bronze Union,” “Emissary Panda,” “Lucky Mouse,” and “Iron Tiger,” and more recently referred to as “UTA0178,” “UNC 5221,” and “Silk Typhoon.” 

            The Department obtained a 19-count indictment against YIN on May 2, 2018 (the “2018 Indictment”) from a grand jury sitting in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The 2018 Indictment, which alleges conduct between August 2013 and December 2015, charges wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”).

            Another federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted both YIN and ZHOU on March 28, 2023 (the “2023 Indictment”), with similar offenses.  Specifically, the 2023 Indictment, which alleges conduct between June 2018 and November 2020, charges conspiracy, wire fraud, various violations of the CFAA, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. 

            On March 4, 2025, a federal magistrate judge sitting in the District of Columbia authorized FBI to seize a VPS account and multiple internet domains involved in the criminal activity.  According to the unsealed affidavits in support of those warrants, ZHOU utilized the VPS account to create additional accounts used to facilitate computer intrusion activity and to discuss the sale of access to compromised computer networks. Separately, YIN utilized his own servers and stood up the seized domains to exploit victim computer networks to include networks at Treasury.

Computer Hacking Scheme

            As alleged in the documents unsealed today, at various points between August 2013 and December 2024, YIN, ZHOU, and their unindicted co-conspirators used sophisticated hacking tools and techniques in their efforts to overcome network defenses and avoid detection of numerous hardened targets in the United States and around the world. The defendants and their co-conspirators would routinely scan victim networks for vulnerabilities, exploit those vulnerabilities with sophisticated hacking techniques, and conduct reconnaissance once inside a victim’s network. The defendants and their co-conspirators and would install malware that would allow them to maintain persistent access and enable them to communicate with malicious external servers and other hacking infrastructure. The defendants and their co-conspirators would identify and steal data from the compromised networks by exfiltrating the data to servers under their control. The stolen data was then brokered for sale and provided to various customers, some of whom had connections to the PRC government and military.

Targeting of U.S. Victims

            According to the 2018 Indictment, YIN targeted U.S.-based defense contractors, technology firms, and think tanks, among other victims. The 2018 Indictment alleges YIN openly discussed his preference for targeting American victims. For example, on one occasion in September 2013, YIN told an associate he wanted to “mess with the American military” and “break into a big target” so that he could earn enough money to buy a car. YIN used mapping software to identify network vulnerabilities for the purpose of gaining unlawful access to victim computer and installing malware. YIN used stolen network credentials to maintain persistent access to victim networks and utilized intermediary servers or “hop points” and malicious domains to remotely access and exfiltrate victim computer data.

            According to the 2023 Indictment, YIN, ZHOU, and others targeted U.S.-based companies like technology and defense contractors, law firms, communication service providers, local governments, health care systems, and think tanks. The 2023 Indictment charges YIN and ZHOU with scanning victim networks for access points and also exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities. Once inside the networks, YIN other conspirators would then install malware such as web shells to maintain persistent access. YIN and other conspirators would then use hop point servers to exfiltrate stolen data to servers under YIN’s control. ZHOU then brokered access to such stolen data to interested third parties for a financial profit. The indictment further alleged that YIN, ZHOU, and other conspirators laundered cryptocurrency payments for their operational infrastructure from locations outside of the United States through the U.S. financial system.

            The affidavit in support of the seizure warrant for the VPS account alleges that ZHOU used servers created by the account in order to establish a virtual private network (“VPN”) that would encrypt network traffic such that the true location and IP address of the actor or actors would be obfuscated. ZHOU also used the VPS accounts to create other accounts through which he communicated with buyers who were interested in obtaining access to computer networks compromised by YIN. ZHOU also used the accounts for victim reconnaissance purposes.

            The affidavit in support of the seizure of the domains alleges that funds used to purchase computer network infrastructure used in numerous victim network breaches ultimately connected to an account registered in YIN’s name, from China, using an email address and phone number belonging to YIN. Of particular note, a virtual private server account controlled by YIN was associated with the compromise at Treasury.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) who continue to investigate malicious cyber activity associated with these defendants and threat actors and continue to notify affected victims immediately once any networks intrusions are discovered. The FBI’s Cyber Division and Department of Defense’s Cyber Crimes Center provided valuable assistance to the investigation.  Private partners from Microsoft, Volexity, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, and Mandiant also provided valuable assistance with this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack F. Korba, and Tejpal S. Chawla, and National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section Trial Attorney Tanner Kroeger. Paralegal Specialist Michael Watts and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Demian Ahn and Opher Shweiki for the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia provided assistance on this case.

            An indictment is merely an allegation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  

WASHINGTON – Moises Humberto Rivera-Luna, also known as Viejo Santos, 55, an alleged international leader of the violent MS-13 drug gang, made an initial appearance today in U.S. District Court following his extradition from Guatemala to the United States to face a racketeering charge connected to at least one murder. U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Rivera-Luna held without bond.

           The extradition was announced today by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Rivera-Luna is one of seven defendants charged in a fourth superseding, nine-count indictment, which was returned on May 3, 2013 alleging a racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering and other offenses. Rivera-Luna is charged only with committing racketeering conspiracy. The government alleges that Rivera-Luna, while incarcerated in El Salvador, supervised operations of MS-13 cliques in the Washington, D.C. area. Upon release, he traveled to Guatemala where he was subject to extradition.

           “The decade-long pursuit of this alleged violent gang member illustrates our office’s resolve to remain focused and bring to justice those who violate the law no matter where they are, no matter how long it takes,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr.

           “Keeping Americans safe from transnational criminal gangs is one of the Department’s top priorities,” said Supervisory Official Bacon. “This defendant’s appearance in federal court in Washington today demonstrates our relentless commitment to seeking justice for victims, no matter how long it takes. Thanks to the incredible work by our federal prosecutors and law enforcement partners, we are one step closer to bringing closure for the many victims of this defendant’s alleged brutal violence.”

           “Moise Humberto Rivera-Luna will have his day in court, but he stands accused of very serious crimes. His alleged criminal activity combined with his leadership of the MS-13 transnational criminal organization, makes Rivera-Luna a significant threat to the safety of the American people,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck. “We are grateful for the strong relationships we enjoy with our local, state, federal and international law enforcement partners. Without their cooperation, none of this would be possible. ICE HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to work relentlessly and exhaust all resources to investigate and apprehend anyone who presents a threat to national security or the residents of our communities.”

           The indictment alleges that MS-13 engages in racketeering activity to include murder, narcotics distribution, extortion, robberies, obstruction of justice and other crimes. The indictment specifically states that some of the defendants allegedly participated in assaults against persons they believed to be rival gang members, made threats against persons they believed to be cooperating with law enforcement, and carried out extortions.

           The range of criminal activity alleged in the indictment includes acts committed in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and other states. The indictment alleges that there was frequent contact between MS-13 members in the Washington, D.C.-metropolitan area and El Salvador, and that persons incarcerated in El Salvador encouraged or ordered assaults and murders.

           Rivera-Luna is alleged to be an international leader of MS-13 who was sending orders and advice to an MS-13 clique operating in the Washington area, via cellular telephone calls from his prison cell in El Salvador. The indictment alleges that he and another MS-13 leader, Marvin Geovanny Monterrosa-Larios, also incarcerated in El Salvador, directed that a coalition of MS-13 cliques be formed in the Washington area. They advised local clique members that the coalition’s aim was to seek and kill MS-13 members who were found to be cooperating with law enforcement officials.                                                                                     

           Among other allegations, the indictment charges Rivera-Luna with ordering the murder of Louis Alberto Membreno-Zelaya, 27. Membreno-Zelaya was found stabbed to death on Nov. 6, 2008, near 11th Street and Otis Place, in Northwest Washington, D.C.

           The indictment also alleges that Rivera-Luna authorized the murder of Felipe Enriquez, 25, whose body was found on March 31, 2010, in Montgomery County, MD.

           This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Lakeita F. Rox-Love of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case is being investigated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the extradition of Rivera-Luna from Guatemala.

           Assistance was provided by the Montgomery County and the Prince George’s County, MD. Police Departments, the State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County, MD., the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

           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.

           An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty in a court of law.

Moises Humberto Rivera-Luna, also known as Santos and Viejo Santos, 55, an alleged international leader of the violent MS-13 drug gang, made an initial appearance today in the District of Columbia following his extradition from Guatemala to the United States to face racketeering conspiracy charges.

“Keeping Americans safe from transnational criminal gangs is one of the Department’s top priorities,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant’s appearance in federal court in Washington today demonstrates our relentless commitment to seeking justice for victims, no matter how long it takes. Thanks to the incredible work by our federal prosecutors and law enforcement partners, we are one step closer to bringing closure for the many victims of this defendant’s alleged brutal violence.”

“The decade-long pursuit of this alleged violent gang member illustrates our office’s resolve to remain focused and bring to justice those who violate the law no matter where they are, no matter how long it takes,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia.

“Moise Humberto Rivera-Luna will have his day in court, but he stands accused of very serious crimes,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck. “His alleged criminal activity, combined with his leadership of the MS-13 transnational criminal organization, makes Rivera-Luna a significant threat to the safety of the American people. We are grateful for the strong relationships we enjoy with our local, state, federal and international law enforcement partners. Without their cooperation, none of this would be possible. ICE HSI Washington, D.C., will continue to work relentlessly and exhaust all resources to investigate and apprehend anyone who presents a threat to national security or the residents of our communities.”

Rivera-Luna is one of seven defendants in a nine-count fourth superseding indictment, which was returned on May 9, 2013, charging the defendants with committing racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, and other offenses. Rivera-Luna is charged only with committing racketeering conspiracy. The government alleges that Rivera-Luna, while incarcerated in El Salvador, supervised operations of MS-13 cliques in the Washington area. Upon release, he traveled to Guatemala where he was subject to extradition.

The indictment alleges that MS-13 engages in racketeering activity to include murder, narcotics distribution, extortion, robberies, obstruction of justice, and other crimes. The indictment specifically states that some of the defendants allegedly participated in assaults against perceived rival gang members, made threats against people they believed to be cooperating with law enforcement, and carried out extortions.

The range of criminal activity alleged in the indictment includes acts committed in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and other states. The indictment alleges there was frequent contact between MS-13 members in the Washington metropolitan area and El Salvador, and that members incarcerated in El Salvador encouraged or ordered assaults and murders.

Rivera-Luna is alleged to be an international leader of MS-13 who was sending orders and advice to an MS-13 clique operating in the Washington area via cellular telephone calls from his prison cell in El Salvador. The indictment alleges that he and another alleged MS-13 leader, Marvin Geovanny Monterrosa-Larios, also incarcerated in El Salvador, directed a coalition of MS-13 cliques to be formed in the Washington area. They advised local clique members that the coalition’s aim was to seek and kill MS-13 members who were found to be cooperating with law enforcement officials.

Among other allegations, the indictment charges Rivera-Luna with ordering the murder of Louis Alberto Membreno-Zelaya, 27. Membreno-Zelaya was found stabbed to death on Nov. 6, 2008, in Northwest Washington.

The indictment also alleges that Rivera-Luna authorized the murder of Felipe Enriquez, 25, whose body was found on March 31, 2010, in Montgomery County, Maryland.

ICE HSI Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the case. The Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland, Police Departments; State Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County; and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Maryland and the Eastern District of Virginia provided assistance.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the extradition of Rivera-Luna from Guatemala.

Trial Attorney Lakeita F. Rox-Love of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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

WASHINGTON –   Darrell Moore, 47, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today, by a Superior Court jury, of first-degree murder while armed and other related firearm charges, in connection with the April 2021 murder of Julius Hayes, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Moore faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 3:50 p.m. on April 3, 2021, Moore drove to the 300 block of 18th Street, NE, in a black sedan. There, Moore approached Mr. Hayes. The two began to argue, but Mr. Hayes walked away from the confrontation. Moore, however, ran at Mr. Hayes, pulled out a handgun and shot Mr. Hayes multiple times in the middle of the street. Moore then went back to the sedan where he paused for a bit, but decided to return to Mr. Hayes to continue the attack. Moore left the area driving south on 18th Street. Officers and medics responded to the scene and discovered Mr. Hayes lying between two parked cars. Mr. Hayes was pronounced dead after he was rushed to the hospital. Moore was arrested on May 11, 2021 and has been in custody since.

            In 1995, at the age of 16, Moore was tried as an adult and convicted of first-degree murder while armed, felony murder, and other charges for the brutal home invasion-killing of a child and the attempted murders of the child’s mother and aunt. Moore committed this crime with his twin brother, who was also convicted and remains incarcerated. On August 7, 2020, Moore was released, over the government’s objection, after receiving a sentence reduction under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA). Nine months after his release, Moore executed Mr. Hayes in broad daylight in the middle of the street.

            Moore was arrested on May 11, 2021 and has been in custody since.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Martin commended the work of those investigating the case from the MPD, United States Attorney’s Office, ATF Washington Field Division, FBI Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, DC Department of Corrections, and the United States Marshals Service. Finally, the U.S. Attorney commended Assistant United States Attorneys Nebiyu Feleke and Michael C. Lee for their work in prosecuting this case. 

WASHINGTON – Juwon Anderson, 22, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.   

            U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 5, 2025. The defendant was arrested on December 15, 2023, and has been detained ever since.

            Others charged in the conspiracy are: Vincent Lee Alston, aka “Vedo,” 22, and Niquan Odumn, aka “Stickz” and “Debo,” 22, all of Washington, D.C., and Cy’Juan Hemsley, aka “Juan,” 18, of District Heights, Maryland, and Tyjuan McNeal, 28, of Washington, D.C

            According to the court documents, on December 13, 2023, the defendant and at least four co-conspirators drove from Washington, D.C. to the A & D pawn shop in Maryland in two vehicles. Once at the A & D pawn shop, one of the co-conspirators used a portable saw to cut the locks on a pull-down security gate covering the entrance to the A & D Pawn Shop. Another co-conspirator then used a crowbar-type tool to pry open the main door to the A&D Pawn Shop.  Another co-conspirator then used a crowbar-type tool to pry open the main door to the A & D pawn shop. After breaking into the A & D pawn shop, the defendant and four other co-conspirators then entered the store, grabbed firearms from the store’s shelves and display racks, and left the store with firearms. In total, the defendant and his co-conspirators stole at least 34 firearms from the A & D Pawn shop. Anderson and his co-conspirators then used social media to advertise the sale of the stolen firearms. Two days after the burglary, on December 15, 2023, Anderson was arrested with two of the stolen firearms.

            This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division and the Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the ATF Baltimore Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shehzad Akhtar and Ryan Lipes.    

WASHINGTON – Tywan J. Cummings, 44, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 204 months in federal prison for an armed carjacking spree in May 2020 that led to a car chase with police, his firing shots on police officers, and his burglarizing an occupied residence where he was eventually caught hiding.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., for the District of Columbia, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Cummings pleaded guilty August 18, 2023, in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to carjacking; using, possessing, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence; and assaulting, resisting, or interfering with a police officer with a dangerous weapon. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Cummings to serve five years of supervised release.

        According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of May 17, 2020, in the Trinidad neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C., Cummings pointed an AR-style rifle at a man who was putting air into his tire of his BMW 325i on the 1200 block of Raum Street. Cummings took the vehicle at gunpoint. Cummings then drove the BMW, with the valve of the pump still attached to the tire, into Maryland and, minutes later, carjacked a nurse of her Hyundai Tucson at gunpoint outside a hospital in Prince George’s County. In the early morning hours of May 18, 2023, multiple Maryland law enforcement agencies from the Bowie, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County Police Departments pursued Cummings—who was by this time driving a stolen Honda Ridgeline—into Southeast Washington, D.C.  MPD officers were also on scene to assist. 

            At the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue SE and Alabama Avenue SE, Cummings crashed the Honda into another car near a gas station. On foot with police in pursuit, Cummings fired multiple shots on Maryland and MPD police officers with a handgun. Shortly after 2 a.m., Cummings broke into an occupied residence on the 3900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE and hid in an upstairs bedroom. Police declared a barricade at 2:28 a.m.

            Members of the MPD’s Emergency Response Team responded and apprehended Cummings. Officers recovered a .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun, the AR-style rifle from the stolen vehicle, and over 100 rounds of ammunition. No victim sustained physical injuries during the spree. Cummings has been in custody since his arrest.   

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department with valuable assistance provided by the Bowie Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emory V. Cole and Paul V. Courtney.

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WASHINGTON – Darryl Quander, 58, of Washington, DC, was sentenced on February 28, 2025 to 40 months incarceration, for one count of first-degree theft and three counts of felony enhanced second degree theft, for a string of retail thefts at CVS stores over a span of two months, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Quander pleaded guilty on December 17, 2024, in D.C. Superior Court to one count of first-degree theft and three counts of felony enhanced second-degree theft. The Honorable Judge Errol Arthur sentenced Quander to 12 months suspended to all but four months in prison on the first-degree theft charge and 16 months with all suspended except for 12 months on each felony enhanced second-degree theft charge. All four counts were ordered to run consecutive to one another and Quander’s incarceration is to be followed by three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, between February 26, 2024, and April 24, 2024, Quander committed a string of thefts, mostly at the same CVS stores located in the 1000 block of 16th Street, N.W and the 1400 block of P Street NW. During that period, Quander committed 24 retail thefts over the course of 58 days. In each instance, Quander was seen on surveillance camera entering the stores, taking merchandise, specifically Red Bull and other merchandise, from the shelves, and leaving the stores without paying for the merchandise. Quander stole over $3,500 in merchandise during his crime spree.

            Quander was arrested for these offenses on June 10, 2024. 

            In announcing the indictments and the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Wendy Nicole Villatoro, 40, formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced February 28, 2025 in U.S. District Court to 15 months in federal prison for submitting fraudulent applications seeking money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that netted her $844,000.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG) Northeast Region, and Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Region.

            Villatoro, a former D.C. Homeland Security Commissioner and former employee with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pleaded guilty November 14, 2024, to bank fraud. In addition to the 15-month prison sentence, the Honorable Carl J. Nichols ordered Villatoro to serve two years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, between March 31, 2020, and August 4, 2021, Villatoro submitted eight PPP loan applications with various financial institutions and 15 Economic Injury Disaster (EID) loans with the Small Business Administration (SBA), all of which contained materially false statements. In order to get money from PPP lenders or the SBA, Villatoro submitted loans on behalf of fake businesses and inflated the number of employees, the average monthly payroll, the gross yearly revenue, or the cost of goods sold. In doing so, she tried to steal between $2.6 million and $5.5 million. While most of Villatoro’s loan applications were denied, she successfully secured over $844,000 in PPP and EID funds. Villatoro used the funds to pay off her student loans, pay off the car loan on a BMW SUV, and buy luxury items.

            As part of her plea agreement, Villatoro agreed to pay $844,415.24 in restitution to the U.S. Government and to forfeit items purchased with proceeds of the offense, including over 70 pieces of designer clothing and jewelry and a BMW SUV.

            The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

            The PPP allowed qualifying small-businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1 percent. PPP loan proceeds were required to be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allowed the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spent the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and used at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.

            The EIDL program was designed to provide economic relief to small businesses that were experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. EIDL proceeds were intended for a wide array of working capital and normal operating expenses, such as continuation of health care benefits, rent, utilities and fixed debt payments. If an applicant also obtained a loan under the PPP, the EIDL funds were not to be used for the same purpose as the PPP funds.  

            The case was investigated jointly by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, USDA-OIG, and SBA-OIG. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI Washington Field Office Asset Forfeiture Unit.

            This matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared English and Rick Blaylock, Jr. Valuable assistance was provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Connor Mullin, Anna Forgie, and Paul V. Courtney.

            Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud.

WASHINGTON – Deangelo Lorenzo Lewis, 28, of Washington D.C., was found guilty today of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 30, 2025.

            The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and United States Marshal Robert A. Dixon, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean T. Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division,

            According to court documents, Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Lewis on October 3, 2023, in an apartment that he had rented using a stolen identity.  After securing Lewis and the apartment, Deputy U.S. Marshals applied for, received, and executed a search warrant on the apartment where they discovered more than $150,000 worth of checks that appeared to have been stolen from the U.S. mail, a check printer, and blank check stock, as well as driver’s licenses and social security cards issued to persons other than Lewis. Deputy U.S. Marshals also discovered a Century Arms, Micro Draco 7.62 x 39mm semi-automatic assault pistol, two 9mm handgun magazines, and approximately 1 ½ pounds of marijuana packaged for distribution.  The Micro Draco was loaded with 26 rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber.

            The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service with assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James B. Nelson, Justin F. Song, Jacqueline O. Yarbro and Paralegal Specialist Jenna Lee.

WASHINGTON — Dusan Dimic, 41, of Reston, Virginia., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 41 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that used Zipcars, rental cars, and privately owned vehicles to deliver cocaine to customers throughout the Northwest.

           The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Dimic pleaded guilty on November 12, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. In addition to the 41-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Dimic to serve three years of supervised release.

           According to court documents, in August 2022, members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) began an investigation into individuals operating a narcotics delivery service, operating primarily in Northwest Washington, D.C. using rental vehicles and rideshare services.

           Undercover law enforcement agents conducted 14 controlled purchases of illegal narcotics from Dimic’s co-conspirator. Dimic served as either the driver for the co-conspirator or arranged for a driver to drive the co-conspirator to distribute narcotics. During the undercover controlled purchases, Dimic frequently sat in the driver’s seat, the co-conspirator always sat in the front passenger’s seat, and the undercover agent (as the customer) sat in the rear passenger’s seat. The drug transactions took place immediately next to Dimic while he remained in the driver’s seat.

           Dimic typically conducted drug transactions on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Dimic typically began his route by driving to a supermarket on the 2200 block of I Street NW, to meet his co-conspirator. The two men then proceeded to pick up various individuals, meeting with them for a brief period to engage in narcotics sales.

           Zipcar records show Dimic’s name listed on the account and Dimic’s credit card on file as the form of payment for the vehicles used during the conspiracy. On certain days, when Dimic was not the driver, he would provide transportation and drivers for his co-conspirator. 

           At approximately 5:24 p.m. on September 21, 2023, law enforcement arrested Dimic and his co-defendant. From Dimic, law enforcement recovered 90 grams of cocaine located on the front driver’s side floorboard, a small blue bag with Dimic’s identification cards, his cell phone, and $2,304.51 in cash. From the co-defendant, law enforcement recovered $4,454.74 in cash, a blue bookbag containing multiple eyeglass containers with 483 grams of cocaine, and a medicine bottle containing 90 grams of methamphetamine pills located on the front passenger floorboard.

           During the course of the conspiracy, Dimic and his co-conspirators sold an average of 56 grams of cocaine per day from August 2022 to August 2023. 

           This case was investigated by the DEA and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris McCranie and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Rasalam with valuable assistance from Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Crosby and Lauren Randall.

WASHINGTON – Cristian Josue Arteaga, 35, formerly of Hyattsville, Maryland, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on multiple counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed with aggravating circumstances, stemming from a January 22, 2012 armed rape of a victim in Northeast Washington D.C., U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced. 

            Arteaga will be arraigned before the Honorable Jason Park. If convicted of the charges, Arteaga faces a maximum of life in prison without possibility of release and lifetime sex offender registration. 

           According to the government’s evidence as summarized in the arrest warrant, on January 22, 2012, at approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim was walking home from the Ft. Totten Metro station after finishing her shift at work. As the victim approached her home, Arteaga—a stranger—approached her and asked what time it was. The victim responded by pulling out her phone and relaying the time. Arteaga then brandished a small black handgun, demanded money and made a crude sexual demand while pointing the gun in her face. Arteaga shoved the victim into her neighbor’s carport, pushed her down, and raped her multiple times at gunpoint. Following the assault, Arteaga threatened the victim not to report the assault to police, saying he would kill her if she reported, and then fled the scene.  

           Due to the threats, the victim was afraid to call police to her home and waited until the following morning to report the rape to police. The victim subsequently obtained a rape kit and crime scene technicians processed the crime scene for evidence. Evidence collected in connection with the offense was tested for DNA promptly in 2012. The DNA profile of an unknown male was obtained from the testing and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a DNA database maintained by the FBI. There were no hits in the database and the case went cold.

            On December 19, 2023, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued an NDIS CODIS offender letter, reflecting a match between the unknown male DNA profile that had been entered in CODIS from the 2012 armed rape and Texas offender Cristian Josue Arteaga. Detectives traveled to Texas and lawfully collected a known DNA sample from Arteaga and submitted it for testing and comparison to the evidence from the armed rape that was previously tested in 2012. The DNA testing provided very strong support for inclusion of Arteaga’s and the victim’s DNA profiles being present in the evidence.

            Arteaga has been in custody since his arrest and was brought to the District of Columbia in January 2025 to face these charges.

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

           This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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