District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Jacob Blair, 26, of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today for his role in drug conspiracy that sold a wide variety of counterfeit narcotics, including large amounts of fentanyl, on the online site Tor2Door, a Darknet marketplace. 

           The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves of the District of Columbia; U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan of the Western District of Pennsylvania; Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Kevin P. Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Washington Division; Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge KaiWah Chan of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.

           Blair pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and 50 grams of methamphetamine, and to a charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Blair also pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to a charge, originally filed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, of distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Sentencing is pending. Blair is facing a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison—10 years for conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and five years for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. 

           According to the plea agreement, Blair was responsible for distributing more than 1.2 kilograms but less than 4 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, and at least 50 grams but less than 200 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. He also admitted to mass-marketing the narcotics by means of an interactive computer service. 

           According to court documents, from August 1, 2022, through February 24, 2023, Blair and a co-defendant operated vendor accounts on various darknet marketplaces. On the marketplace Tor2Door, Blair and his co-defendant advertised their controlled substances using the monikers “YVS” and “YVendor Supplier” which they touted as “a syndicate of professionals that specialize in making the best products the markets have to offer. We focus on quality, consistency, stealth, and speed.” The conspiracy completed at least 459 sales of illegal narcotics. 

           Blair manufactured and obtained counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax pills for sale. Blair posted these controlled substances on Tor2Door and four other marketplaces for sale and accepted Bitcoin or Monero cryptocurrencies. During the conspiracy, Blair and his co-conspirator shipped counterfeit Oxycodone pills to the District of Columbia on at least six occasions. These pills contained fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and metonitazene, a Schedule I controlled substance. In addition, they also shipped counterfeit Xanax pills to the District. 

           On February 22, 2023, law enforcement executed search warrants at Blair’s residence in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and other locations. During the search, law enforcement recovered 10 firearms, over 20,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, an industrial pill press machine, and industrial mixing equipment.

           This case was investigated by the FBI’s Field Offices in Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh, the DEA, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. Valuable assistance was provided by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Moon Township Police Department.

           The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Strong of the District of Columbia’s Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) section and Assistant U.S. Attorney DeMarr Moulton of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

24cr560

WASHINGTON – Robert Littles, 17, and Jessup Meeks, 18, both of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today to carjacking and firearms offenses stemming from a November 2023 carjacking in Southeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Both defendants pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The Honorable Judge Errol Arthur scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 21, 2025. Carjacking carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years of incarceration.

            At the time of the offense, Littles was 16 years old and Meeks was 17 years old. Both were charged as adults. According to the government’s evidence, with which the defendants agreed, on November 19, 2023, the victim was working as an Uber driver and travelled to the 3000 block of Massachusetts Avenue Southeast to pick up a passenger. Meeks got in the front passenger seat of the victim’s car, while Littles and an unidentified third person approached the driver’s side. Littles pointed a black AR-style rife with a drum magazine at the victim’s head before punching the victim in the face. The defendants then pulled the victim out of his car and down to the ground and told him to “leave everything and get out.” The defendants then fled the scene in the victim’s car. Meeks and Littles were arrested approximately thirty minutes later, after the victim’s car was found crashed in the 3000 block of Nelson Place Southeast. Officers observed Littles and Meeks walking up the street from the crashed vehicle and detained them after a short foot pursuit. During the stop, officers recovered the firearm from Littles’ person.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Randle Wilson and Lauren “Luca” Winer. 

WASHINGTON – Johnwann Elliott, 31, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to charges of second-degree murder while armed and attempted assault with a dangerous weapon for the 2022 murder of Nikia Young, 37, in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

           The guilty plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed upon 21-year prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan of the D.C. Superior Court scheduled sentencing for March 14, 2025.

           According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 11:59 a.m., on March 15, 2022, the defendant exited a Metro bus at Minnesota Avenue and White Place Southeast and walked southwest toward the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and 23rd Street Southeast. At the same time, Nikia Young and another individual were walking northeast on Minnesota Avenue toward the same intersection.  As Ms. Young and the other person crossed 23rd Street, the defendant walked up to them in the crosswalk and, in broad daylight, used a 380-caliber handgun to shoot Ms. Young from a close distance. The defendant fired seven times and struck Ms. Young five times—once in her face, three times in the chest, and once in the right hip.  The defendant then fled the scene on foot, running and catching the same Metro bus that he had exited approximately two minutes earlier.

           The defendant was arrested on May 19, 2022, inside of a hotel in Northeast Washington, D.C. and has been in custody ever since. At the time the defendant committed these offenses, he was on release pending trial in D.C. Superior Court for the unauthorized use of a vehicle and was on supervised release after serving a prison sentence for a robbery conviction in the same court.

            This case was investigated by the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Lindhorst investigated and indicted the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Jones.

            WASHINGTON – Michael Wells, 53, of Hyattsville, Maryland was arraigned by Superior Court of the District of Columbia Judge Michael O’Keefe on one count of first degree while armed, premeditated murder, one count of second degree murder while armed, one count of arson, one count of tampering with physical evidence and related weapons offenses.  The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the indictment and related court documents, Wells shot Makia Mosby with a firearm and set her body on fire in an incident that occurred on November 24, 2005, causing injuries from which Makia Mosby would not survive.  Following the indictment, Wells was arrested on December 12, 2024.

            If convicted, Wells faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and five years of supervised release.

            In announcing the indictment and arraignment, U.S. Attorney Graves, commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department and acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Vinet Bryant, who is prosecuting the case.

            An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.  

WASHINGTON – Angel Enrique Suncar, 31, and Tristan Miles Ware, 25, both of Washington D.C. and members of the violent Kennedy Street Crew (KDY), were sentenced today for their roles in a massive drug trafficking organization that operated open-air markets in Northwest Washington D.C.

            Suncar, a twice-convicted felon who sold marijuana and cocaine base and also possessed firearms to facilitate the crew’s drug trafficking activities, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison. Suncar, aka “Coqui,” pleaded guilty on June 12, 2024, to possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Suncar to serve five years of supervised release. Ware, aka “Greedy,” pleaded guilty July 11, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and to possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Judge Howell sentenced Ware to 120 months in prison and also ordered him to serve five years of supervised release. 

           The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office.

            According to court documents, KDY members operated open-air drug markets on an 11-block stretch of Kennedy Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., as well as surrounding streets. Like many drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), KDY armed itself with fire power to facilitate the drug trade and defend its territory from rival crews.

            Suncar was a regular presence in the open-air drug market that KDY controlled. Law enforcement collected evidence of his trafficking at or near his residence on the 1200 block of Kennedy Street NW. Suncar’s role as a trafficker for the KDY crew was further borne out by law enforcement’s recovery of narcotics, cash, and two firearms at his residence on June 27, 2023. On that date, law enforcement searched his residence as part of a coordinated arrest operation conducted at locations in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. At Suncar’s residence, law enforcement discovered the hallmarks of a drug trafficker who manufactures his own supply: multiple baggies of crack cocaine, multiple Pyrex dishes containing powered residue, digital scales, two firearms, additional ammunition, and approximately $1,410 in cash.

            Ware was apprehended on June 26, 2023, at a residence on the 1300 block of 5th Street NW, along with two co-defendants. At the residence, law enforcement recovered 3.5 kilos of marijuana, approximately $2,710 in cash, and six firearms. One of the firearms was a Glock 23 handgun which was swabbed for DNA and matched that of Ware’s. Months prior to the arrest, on January 26, 2023, law enforcement encountered Ware at a home on the 1700 block of D Street, NE, with several KDY members suspected of smuggling marijuana from California to the DMV via commercial flights. Agents recovered ten firearms, assorted ammunition, 21 kilos of marijuana packed in suitcases, and 40 grams of fentanyl-laced pills at the home.

            This investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. 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.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, ATF’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Office.

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

DEFENDANTS

NAME

AGE

CHARGES/SENTENCES

            Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA; all remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C.

23cr0202 

WASHINGTON – Travon Eliy, also known as Travon Jackson, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced for assault with intent to kill a senior citizen in a gun-free zone and other charges stemming from a robbery and daytime shooting that took place behind an elementary school in Southeast Washington. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

         On December 9, 2024, the Honorable Milton C. Lee sentenced Eliy to 26 years in prison for his role in the attacks on both elderly victims. These charges carry an enhancement for crimes against senior citizens, which resulted in the above-guidelines sentence. Eliy was found guilty on April 18, 2019, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The jury also found him guilty of a total of 18 charges, including armed robbery of a senior citizen in a gun-free zone, and related assault and firearms offenses.

         According to the government’s evidence, on the afternoon of April 1, 2016, the victim, a 67-year-old woman, was walking home when she was followed by Eliy into an apartment building in the 600 block of Savannah Street S.E. Once inside, Eliy put a gun to her head and began pulling at her purse. Eliy dragged her out of the building and down a walkway before getting away with her purse. The woman screamed for help and a Good Samaritan, a 61-year-old man, intervened. The man was able to stop Eliy by pushing him up against a parked car. It was then that Eliy fired his gun one time at close range into the man’s chest before fleeing the scene. The shooting took place in broad daylight behind Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School.

         MPD officers stopped the defendant within 10 minutes of the shooting. 

         In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves 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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz; former Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation Michael Ambrosino; former Forensic Operations Program Specialist Elizabeth Marrero; former Paralegal Specialists Kathryn Hoey, Sabrina Turner; former Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames, and former Finance Specialists Karen Lee-Putt, Marquetta Little and Sallie Rynas and Paralegal Specialists Lynda Randolph and Lashone Samuels.

         Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah C. Santiago, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON -- Lirim Sylejmani, 48, a Kosovo-born naturalized U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., to receiving military training from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

           The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division.

           “As the threat from terrorist groups such as ISIS persists, we will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to bring those who would seek to join and receive training from these groups to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This prosecution demonstrates that those who seek to support terrorism will pay a heavy price.” 

            According to court documents, from November 2015 through February 2019, Sylejmani received military training from ISIS in Syria. Sylejmani was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in 2019, and spoke to a number of media outlets about his time with ISIS.

           In November 2015, Sylejmani, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Kosovo, decided to travel to Syria with his family to join ISIS. After entering Syria, Sylejmani completed his ISIS intake process. He adopted the name Abu Sulayman al-Kosovi and trained to be a soldier with other ISIS recruits.  Sylejmani’ s military training included instruction on how to assemble and fire an AK-47 rifle, as well as how to use a PK Machine gun, M-16 rifle and grenades.

           Upon completion of the 21-day military training, ISIS assigned Sylejmani to a battalion in Mosul, Iraq, and issued him an AK-47, four AK-47 magazines, a belt to hold the magazines and two grenades.  Sylejmani pledged “bayat”(allegiance) to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, and to the ISIS organization, in front of an Iraqi ISIS member.  In May 2016, the defendant reported for ribat (guard) duty on the front line of the Manbij offensive.  The defendant brought his gun belt, AK-47 and magazines to his ribat assignment.  During a battle with Coalition Forces he was hit with shrapnel in his legs.  After receiving these injuries, he eventually was reassigned to a new battalion in the fall of 2017.  Sylejmani also received payments from ISIS for his services.  Between November 2017 and February 2019, Sylejmani moved his family southeast to Baghouz, Syria, as the territorial Caliphate of ISIS collapsed.

           On February 27, 2019, Sylejmani and his family were captured by Coalition Forces. Sylejmani was jailed by the SDF in Syria at the Dashisha prison. He was transferred to United States law enforcement personnel on September 15, 2020, to face criminal charges in the District of Columbia.

          This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

           This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorneys Brenda J. Johnson, Steven Wasserman and Kimberly Paschall of the National Security Section, and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

WASHINGTON – Franklin Siate, 42, of Washington, D.C., was convicted today of assaulting two local men near U Street, NW, because of their perceived LGBTQ-status, and making violent threats against the woman in charge of security at the 9:30 Club while she was protecting patrons in line for a Taylor Swift dance party,  announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           The two assault charges carry a bias-related hate crime enhancement. The verdict followed a jury trial in Superior Court of the District of Columbia before Judge Jennifer Di Toro. Sentencing will take place on February 10, 2025.

          On the night of August 3, 2024, Siate verbally and then physically accosted multiple people outside of the 9:30 Club. First, he approached a line of patrons waiting to enter the concert venue for a Taylor Swift Dance Party and started yelling at them. He then turned his attention to a 9:30 Club employee and threatened to rape and murder her. He then saw two men walking by, holding hands, and acting affectionately towards one another.  Siate followed them down the block saying, “Gays cannot hold hands in my city,” “You’re in my living room,” and yelling a slur at them. He then picked up a sign outside of another establishment, lifted it over his head, and charged the two men. An MPD police officer arrived just in time to stop Siate from attacking the men.

          Siate was arrested on Augst 3, 2024, and released on personal reconnaissance. Siate was then arrested on new, unrelated charges on August 31, 2024, and has been in custody since September 9, 2024.

           This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ari B. Rubin and Douglas Maggs.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on November 21, 2024, ordered the forfeiture of $11,996,818.82 connected with Triliance Petrochemical Company Limited (Triliance), a well-known Iranian front company supporting the Iranian regime’s petrochemical industry which has financially supported the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and foreign terrorist organizations including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) and the IRGC-Quds Forces (IRGC-QF).

          The forfeiture was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves of the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge John Condon of Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Bay Office, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin Winston of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.

          The Court’s action came in response to the Motion for Default Judgment filed by the United States. The Court’s written opinion granting the motion found that the United States established that the funds afforded the potential claimants - all front companies organized by Triliance for the Iranian regime – a “source of influence over the IRGC and IRGC-QF.” The Court also found that, as required, the government provided appropriate notice of the action to the potential claimants so that they had the opportunity to advocate for their interest in U.S. District Court. None of the potential claimants or any other party claimed an interest in the seized funds. The court’s Order places all right, title, and interest in the forfeited funds with the United States of America.

          On January 23, 2020, the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sanctioned Triliance for transferring funds on behalf of the National Iranian Oil Company (NOIC) in connection with the sale of Iranian petroleum products. On October 26, 2020, OFAC sanctioned NIOC and the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum under their counterterrorism authority, for their financial support of the IRGC and IRGC-QF, both designated foreign terrorist organizations.

          After Triliance was designated, multiple entities were formed as Iranian front companies, including Petrochem South East Limited, Dynapex Energy Limited, Binrin Limited, Sibshur Limited, and Dinrin Limited, to facilitate the continued illicit sale of Iranian petroleum products using the U.S. financial system in violation of U.S. sanctions. Each of these specifically named entities have been sanctioned by OFAC.

          For example, on August 27, 2020, a Singapore company sent two wires totaling $5,467,958.94 to Dynapex through a U.S. bank to facilitate the purchase of Iranian petroleum. At the time of the transfers, OFAC found Triliance used Dynapex to facilitate the sale of tens of thousands of metric tons of Iranian petrochemical products. Shortly before and after the August 27, 2020, wire transfers, multiple oil tankers owned and/or operated by Dynapex were, on various occasions, found to be in Iranian waters and presumed have Iranian petroleum cargo on board.

          Between approximately March 27, 2020, through approximately October 1, 2020, each of the above-mentioned entities either sent or received funds, using the U.S. financial system, in order to support and facilitate the sale and transportation of Iranian petroleum in violation of U.S. sanctions.

          This matter was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigation’s Tampa Bay Field Office and the FBI Minneapolis Field Office.

          Assistant U.S. Attorney Rajbir Datta of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section handled the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers, Paralegal Latina Sanders, and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. Former Assistant United States Attorney Michael Grady and National Security Division Trial Attorney David Recker provided significant assistance in this investigation.

            WASHINGTON –Ricky McNeil, 31 of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of one count of kidnapping while armed, one count of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravated circumstances and one count of robbery, in a July 2023 assault on a stranger, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            McNeil was also found guilty of one count of assault with a dangerous weapon (knife), one count of possession of a prohibited weapon (knife), and one count of assault with significant bodily injury. The verdict was returned on December 11, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe presided over scheduled sentencing for February 14, 2025.  McNeil faces a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of release.

            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 so hard 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. 

            This case was investigated by 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. Attorneys Peter V. Taylor and Molly K. Smith of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., returned an indictment yesterday charging Jason Pallante, 52, of Orlando, Florida, with defrauding political donors by operating numerous political fundraising websites that fraudulently promised to support presidential candidates and instead using the money he raised to enrich himself.

According to the indictment, Pallante operated the America Great PAC, purportedly a Super PAC able to receive unlimited contributions to finance independent expenditures and other independent political activity. During the 2023 — 2024 presidential primary season, Pallante created dozens of websites that claimed to support various specific candidates for president. Pallante allegedly designed these websites to appear affiliated with a particular candidate or campaign, such as by using photos of the candidate, first-person language, and the same font as the candidate’s campaign. Pallante also accepted checks made out directly to presidential candidates or their campaigns. Pallante directed all of the contributions to America Great PAC. According to the indictment, Pallante raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from these websites and did not use any of the money to support the advertised presidential candidates. Instead, Pallante allegedly used contributions to perpetuate the scheme and to pay himself more than $162,000 in 2023 and $334,000 in 2024.

Pallante is charged with three counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Jacob R. Steiner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

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

            WASHINGTON – Jason Pallante, 52, of Orlando, Florida, was arrested today by special agents with the FBI and other law enforcement partners on charges he operated numerous political fundraising websites and illegally took the money for his own use. Pallante is charged with three counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud.

            The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office.

            According to the federal indictment, returned on December 10th and unsealed today, Pallante operated the America Great PAC purportedly as a Super PAC. During the presidential primary season, Pallante created dozens of websites that claimed to support various specific candidates for President, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. Pallante allegedly designed these websites to appear affiliated with a particular candidate or campaign, such as by using photos of the candidate, first-person language, and the same font as the campaign. Pallante also accepted checks made out directly to presidential candidates or their campaigns. Unbeknownst to the contributors, all of this money was directed to America Great PAC. Pallante did not use the money raised from these websites to support the advertised presidential candidates. Instead, Pallante allegedly used contributions to perpetuate the scheme and pay himself more than $162,000 in 2023 and $334,000 in 2024.

            “Campaign finance scams – like the one alleged here – harm victims twice over, stealing their money and preventing them from using that money to support the causes and candidates of their choice,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The Department and our Office will follow all the evidence and, with our law enforcement partners, prosecute these scams.”

            “Pallante allegedly defrauded voters who believed they were donating to presidential candidates, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for himself,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “As his indictment demonstrates, the FBI will pursue charges against fraudsters who seek to line their pockets by exploiting donors' participation in the political process.”

            If convicted, Pallante faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Jacob R. Steiner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.

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

###

WASHINGTON – William Hunter, 28, of Washington D.C., was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 228 months in federal prison for participating in a multi-state string of violent gun-point robberies of South Asian jewelry stores that netted millions of dollars in cash and gold for the 15-member crew, allegedly led by Trevor Wright, aka rapper “Taliban Glizzy.”

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony A. Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado of the Newark Field Office; U.S. Marshal Peter Marketos of the United States Marshals Service; and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Hunter, aka “Ill Will,” pleaded guilty on September 4, 2024 to interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (aka Hobbs Act robbery) and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. In his plea, Hunter accepted responsibility for six robberies across Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that not only stole millions of dollars in jewelry, but terrorized multiple victims and left behind a wake of destruction and financial loss. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Hunter to serve 48 months of supervised release.

            According to court documents, over the course of 18 months, Hunter and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to rob multiple South Asian jewelry stores of heavy gold jewelry of high purity. The conspiracy began in January 2022 and continued until August 2023 when several of the co-conspirators had been charged and arrested.

            Each robbery was carefully coordinated in advance of its commission and employed a similar modus operandi, one that the co-conspirators seemed to hone and perfect over time and with each new criminal act. The co-conspirators researched stores to select their targets before meeting in Washington, D.C. and traveling in one or more getaway vehicles to the stores. To evade law enforcement detection, some of the suspect vehicles were stolen or outfitted with stolen tags. At least one of the vehicles was carjacked by Hunter and others at gunpoint on September 11, 2022, and later used in a robbery on September 20, 2022.

            The co-conspirators often cased the stores in advance of the robbery and gained access by a variety of means, including using sledgehammers to shatter a store’s door or windows before storming in. The co-conspirators employed a show of force to gain compliance from their victims, with at least one co-conspirator armed with a firearm in each instance. They used hammers to smash the glass display cases, filling bags with gold jewelry and resulting in significant damage throughout the stores. In every single instance, however, Hunter and his co-conspirators terrorized the store’s owners, employees, and customers by engaging in an armed takeover of the store and then ransacking it before fleeing.

            Often, following the robberies, the stolen gold would be melted to bars and ultimately converted to cash. Hunter and his co-conspirators would then flaunt their ill-gotten gains on social media.   

            On March 6, 2023, in Washington, D.C., law enforcement arrested Hunter on an outstanding arrest warrant issued out of Maryland arising from an October 22, 2022, armed carjacking. At the time of his arrest, Hunter had a loaded Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number in his waistband. That same day, law enforcement executed a residential warrant at Hunter’s D.C. residence and recovered, among other items, 135 live rounds of assorted ammunition, four rifle magazines, one speed loader, and an AR-15 rifle drum magazine. They also recovered clothing that appeared consistent with some worn by Hunter during the commission of robberies, along with a crowbar and a hammer.

            In April 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Hunter and Trevor Wright, aka rapper “Taliban Glizzy,” in connection with the armed robbery of Paradise Jewelry Store. On August 17, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a 19-count Superseding Indictment, charging Hunter and his co-conspirators in connection with nine armed robberies in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Virginia, with substantial planning and coordination occurring in D.C. On March 12, 2024, a Second Superseding Indictment was filed, adding charges related to two additional robberies, including one in D.C., as well as charges related to the recovery of firearms and narcotics from multiple residences associated with the various co-conspirators.

            According to his plea agreement, Hunter accepted responsibility for his roles in: (1) the January 7, 2022, armed robbery of Yasini Jewelers in Falls Church, Virginia; (2) the September 20, 2022, armed robbery of Sonia Jewelers and Boutique in Springfield, Virginia; (3) the October 25, 2022, armed robbery of Paradise Jewelry in Paterson, New Jersey; (4) the November 10, 2022, armed robbery of Baral Jewelers and Gift Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; (5) the November 27, 2022, armed robbery of Sara Emporium Jewelry in Jersey City, New Jersey; and (6) the January 27, 2023, armed robbery of Princess Diamonds in Falls Church, Virginia.

            This case was investigated by the ATF, Metropolitan Police Department, and FBI Newark and Washington Field Offices. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sitara Witanachchi and Andrea Duvall.

DEFENDANT

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Photo introduced into evidence depicts the robbery of $250,000 in jewelry from Princess Diamonds in Falls Church, Virginia

Surveillance photo depicts William Hunter walking with a tray of jewelry in one hand and a gun in the other during the January 7, 2022, armed robbery of Yasini Jewelers.

Images posted on October 29 and November 1, 2022, to Hunter’s Instagram account depict him with stacks of cash, a firearm, and a wristwatch.

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WASHINGTON – Michael Snow Jr., 24, of Durham, North Carolina, was arrested this morning in connection with a federal criminal complaint charging him with destruction of federal property. The complaint alleges that, on July 24, 2024, Snow destroyed an American flag by setting it on fire as a crowd surrounded him chanting “Burn that sh--.”. Moments before, two other individuals took down the flag, which was flying on one of the flagpoles at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C.

            The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division, and Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor of the U.S. Park Police (USPP).

Snow will make his initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in the Middle  District of North Carolina. He is charged federally with willfully injuring or depredating any property of the United States.

            “Stealing a federal flag and burning it is not speech, it’s destruction of federal property,” said US Attorney Graves. “Hundreds of thousands of people engage in lawful First Amendment protest activity every year in the District of Columbia without incident.  The relatively few who chose to cross the line from protest to violence and destruction will be held accountable for the crimes they commit.”

            “The FBI does not conduct investigations based solely on First Amendment activities,” said SAC Virmani, “but the FBI will not tolerate those who commit destruction of federal property in the guise of First Amendment activity. That includes taking and burning a federal flag from a federal flagpole as Snow allegedly did.”

            According to court documents, on July 24, 2024, an organization was granted a permit to demonstrate in the area of 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 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.

            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 the total cost to clean up and repair the site at $11,282.23.

Screen shot from a closed-circuit camera shows Snow (circled in yellow) as he grabbed the fallen American flag from the halyard.                                                                               

            A review of open-source and U.S. Capitol Police surveillance footage show that two individuals lowered an American flag affixed to the eastern flagpole in Columbus Circle. After it was lowered, the flag fell to the ground still attached to its halyard. An individual man later identified as Snow grabbed the flag and carried it into the crowd of protesters.

            After throwing the flag onto the ground, the man produced a lighter and held it up to the flag in an apparent effort to light the flag on fire. The man was initially unsuccessful and yelled to the crowd: “I need a better lighter!” Individuals in the crowd surrounding the man chanted “Burn that sh--!” Another open-source video captured images of the man as he attempted to torch the flag.

            After the failed attempt to light the flag, someone in the crowd handed Snow a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid. Snow doused the flag with the fluid, then, along with an unidentified individual from the crowd, used lighters to set the flag ablaze.

            On July 25, 2024, a user on the social media platform “X” (formerly Twitter), posted pictures in an apparent effort to identify the man who torched the flag. As a result, law enforcement located a driver’s license photograph of Michael Snow, Jr., who resides in North Carolina. Snow’s identity was further confirmed when law enforcement interviewed individuals who personally know Snow, who identified him in a photo from July 24, 2024.

Screenshot from open-source video shows Snow (circled in yellow) and another individual (circled in blue) lighting the flag on fire.

Screenshot from open-source footage depicts Snow (circled in yellow) on the flag

pedestal while the other individual (circled in blue) parades around the

burning American flag.

            The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the USPP’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit, with assistance from the FBI Charlotte Field Office, Raleigh Resident Agency. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Martin.

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

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WASHINGTON – Lucius Kearney, 52, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for sexually abusing a then 15-year-old girl from 2005 to 2006, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            Kearney was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on September 27, 2024, to one count of first degree sexual abuse of a child. In addition to the prison term, Judge Maribeth Raffinan sentenced Kearney to 10 years of supervised release. Kearney will also be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, during the 2005-2006 school year, the victim, who was in the tenth grade, met the defendant, then a Fourth District Metropolitan Police Department officer, while doing a school project. The victim and defendant met at the Fourth District Police Station, and exchanged phone numbers and began communicating about the school project. Their conversations turned sexual, and ultimately the defendant engaged in sexual acts with the victim in his truck near a D.C. public library, where the victim was volunteering to complete her high school community service hours. The victim disclosed the abuse in 2020 after a random encounter with the defendant while he was on duty in the area where the victim lived.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Paralegal Specialists Garcia Clarke and Veronica Yale; Victim Advocate Veronica Vaughan; Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling; Intern Emily Moran, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen, who did the initial investigation and indicted the case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Peter Taylor and Richard Kelley, who prosecuted the case.  

WASHINGTON – Eleanor Flowers, 76, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court for one count of criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult and attempted threats, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Superior Court Judge Deborah J. Israel sentenced Flowers to 24 months of probation. As part of the sentencing, Flowers must also stay away from the victim and is prohibited from working, volunteering, or participating in any activity involving the elderly, vulnerable, cognitively disabled, or children, to include activities in hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, doctors’ offices, urgent care, and daycare.

            According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Flowers was employed as a Patient Sitter at United Medical Center, a hospital in Southeast Washington. On January 4, 2021, while attempting to change the soiled clothing of a 68-year-old patient under her care, Flowers struck the patient repeatedly with the hospital bed’s remote controller. The victim, who had previously suffered a stroke, was paralyzed on one side of his body, unable to speak, and classified as a “vulnerable adult” under D.C. Code § 22-932.

            The assault was captured on cellphone video by another Patient Sitter in the room, who witnessed the abuse. The video showed Flowers’ repeated strikes, causing visible distress to the victim. Flowers was terminated from her position following the incident, which was reported to hospital authorities and subsequently investigated by the D.C. Office of Inspector General.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative partners with the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), which is statutorily responsible for investigating and prosecuting District Medicaid provider fraud as well as abuse or neglect of residents in health care facilities and board and care facilities and of District Medicaid beneficiaries in noninstitutional or other settings.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves and Inspector General Lucas commended the efforts of those who investigated and prosecuted the case, including the D.C. OIG Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They also acknowledged the contributions of Special Assistant United States Attorney Jason Facci, detailed from the D.C. OIG, who prosecuted the case.

            Studies show that for every incident of abuse reported to authorities, nearly 24 additional cases remain undetected. (See https://ncea.acl.gov/prevalenceofeldermistreatment#gsc.tab=0).

            If you have information about individuals committing these types of offenses, please call the D.C. Office of the Inspector General at 202-724-TIPS [202-724-8477].

WASHINGTON – This morning, the U.S. Marshals Service (“USMS”) arrested Dionzai Parker, 21, also known as “Moneybag Jefe,” on a bench warrant issued after the grand jury returned a third superseding indictment charging Parker with, among other counts, conspiracy and first-degree murder while armed for the February 25, 2023 homicide of Brice Djembissi, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            Previously, four other men from the District and Maryland—Derrico Johnson, 20, Ronald Henderson, 19, Daveon Robinson, 18, and Demarco Robinson, 20—were arraigned on the same third superseding indictment in connection with three homicides—the April 12, 2022 murder of Clayton Marshall, the May 26, 2022 murder of Justin Johnson, and the February 25, 2023 murder of Brice Djembissi—and a fourth drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store that injured two bystanders, described below. 

            The 33-count third superseding indictment charges each defendant with conspiracy, as well as:

• Derrico Johnson with two counts of first-degree murder while armed and three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed stemming from the April 12, 2022 murder of Clayton Marshall and May 26, 2022 murder of Justin Johnson;
• Ronald Henderson with one count of first-degree murder while armed and four counts of assault with intent to kill stemming from the May 26, 2022 murder of Justin Johnson and the January 2, 2023 drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store;
• Daveon Robinson with two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed stemming from the January 2, 2023 drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store;
• Dionzai Parker with one count of first-degree murder while armed and two counts of assault with intent to kill stemming from the February 25, 2023 murder of Brice Djembissi.

            According to the third superseding indictment, the five defendants are members of a crew called “Get Back Gang,” which is associated with the Henson Ridge neighborhood in 7D often referred to as “the Z” and part of a broader group driving violence in DC known as “Fox 5 Gang.” Over the past few years, these defendants and others participated in several homicides and non-fatal shootings, including:

• On April 12, 2022, Derrico Johnson was picked up in a stolen vehicle and driven to the 2200 block of Savannah Street SE. At approximately 12:20 p.m., Derrico Johnson briefly exited the vehicle and fired several rounds in the direction of Shipley Market. Clayton Marshall, 32, who does not appear to have been the intended target, was shot and killed and another individual was shot and injured.
• On May 26, 2022, Derrico Johnson, Ronald Henderson, and another individual walked to the Savannah Terrace Circle, which the victim, 16-year-old Justin Johnson, also known as “23 Rackz,” had posted as his location to Instagram earlier that morning. At approximately 11:20 a.m., Derrico Johnson and Ronald Henderson fired eleven (11) shots from approximately 200 feet away in the direction of Justin Johnson, who was shot twice while standing a few feet away from an infant child on a scooter, who was uninjured. Justin Johnson died a few minutes later inside of a nearby apartment building.
• On January 2, 2023, Ronald Henderson and Daveon Robinson were riding in the back seat of a vehicle, while Dionzai Parker was seated in the front passenger seat and a known juvenile associated with “Get Back Gang” was driving the vehicle. At approximately 4:48 p.m., as the vehicle approached Alabama Convenience Store, Henderson and Robinson fired several rifle and handgun rounds in the direction of Alabama Convenience Store, shooting and injuring two people. Armed Special Police Officers in the area witnessed the shooting and pursued the two shooters through the Henson Ridge neighborhood to a home, where Henderson and Robinson were subsequently arrested. Parker and the driver made good on their escape.
• On February 25, 2023, Dionzai Parker was riding inside a stolen Jeep Compass as the vehicle approached the 2200 block of Savannah Street SE. At around 3:00 p.m., Parker and two others fired approximately 70 rifle rounds in the direction of Shipley Market. During the brazen drive-by shooting, Brice Djembissi—a Prince George’s County teacher and part-time Uber driver who was dropping off a customer—was shot feet away from where Clayton Marshall was killed on April 12, 2022, while two other bystanders were shot and injured. Mr. Djembissi, 37, succumbed to his injuries on March 3, 2023.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Sellinger.

WASHINGTON – Damani Lamont Carmon, 31, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal firearms offense stemming from his possession of a loaded Glock firearm in April 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Carmon pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The Honorable James E. Boasberg scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 14, 2025.

           According to court papers, on April 30, 2024, uniformed MPD officers patrolling the 1800 block of Benning Road Northeast stopped Carmon’s vehicle for a traffic violation. After observing an open container of tequila in the vehicle, officers searched the car and recovered from its center console a Glock 23 .40 caliber firearm loaded with one round of ammunition in its chamber and thirteen rounds of ammunition in its magazine. Subsequent DNA testing and analysis linked the firearm to Carmon.

           Federal law prohibits Carmon from possessing a firearm because he is a previously convicted felon. Specifically, in 2021, Carmon was convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of assault with intent to kill and carrying a pistol without a license, arising from a 2019 shooting at a gas station in Washington, D.C. Carmon was on supervised release for that offense at the time he possessed the firearm charged in this case.

           In September 2024, a federal grand jury empaneled by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia returned an indictment charging Carmon with the April offense. 

           Carmon has remained held without bond since his October 1, 2024, arrest.

           Carmon faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

           The case was investigated by ATF and MPD as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

           The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Kyle R. Mirabelli.

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WASHINGTON – Matthew Walker, 26, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in Superior Court to the charge of second-degree murder while armed, stemming from the April 29, 2019 stabbing of 23-year-old Jamal Greenlee, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.  As a result of the stabbing, Mr. Greenlee was left paralyzed and ultimately passed away from his injuries on November 4, 2020.

           Walker will be sentenced by Judge Marisa Demeo on January 10, 2025. 

           Earlier this year, Walker was sentenced to 50 years of incarceration after being found guilty during a bench trial of, among other charges, the first-degree murder of David Remen, which occurred on February 14, 2019, at Trojan Labor, 1717 Hamlin Street NE. 

           In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Seidel, who prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON – Ibrahim Emmanuel De La Cruz, 25, of Washington D.C., was extradited to face charges filed by criminal complaint with the alleged high-volume thefts of U.S. Mail in Washington D.C., Arlington Va., and Bowie, Maryland, as well as an armed robbery of a Postal maintenance worker, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Special Agent-in-Charge Jacob Cameron, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Washington Field Office.

            The 43-page complaint, filed in September 2024 in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, charges De La Cruz with multiple counts of theft or receipt of stolen mail and the August 10, 2024, armed robbery of a postal maintenance worker.

            “The defendant is charged with robbing a postal worker and repeatedly raiding mail collection boxes, apparently seeking to use the checks, credit cards, and personal identifying information he stole for his financial benefit.  We stand ready to partner with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to hold accountable those who assault postal carriers and those who steal the valuable letters and items we depend on the Postal Service to ship,” said U.S. Attorney Graves for the District of Columbia.

            “The safety and security of the U.S. mail, our employees and customers remain central to the mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” said Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood. “Protecting postal workers from crimes of violence and bringing those criminals who perpetuate these crimes to justice is of great importance.  This case highlights the critical work of Postal Inspectors in safeguarding the integrity of the mail and pursuing individuals who commit theft or fraud against individuals. We will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, to ensure that criminals are held accountable.”

            According to the complaint, beginning in December 2023, multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD), began investigating multiple high-volume mail thefts from mailboxes at multi-family luxury residences and the potentially related robberies of letter carriers and other victims in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

            The investigation found that a man was using stolen U.S. Postal Service “arrow keys” to access USPS collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units, and apartment mailbox panels. The suspect in the thefts resembled a man who had robbed a postal maintenance worker of his arrow keys on August 10, 2024, while the suspect appeared to be gripping a pistol tucked into his waistband.

            Through surveillance camera footage, Instagram posts, and cell phone tracking, De La Cruz was tied to a theft of mail from two apartment complexes on February 19, 2024, on the 2300 block of Champlain Street NW;  the theft of mail from collection box units on February 29, 2024, from the 1600 block of R Street NW; the theft of mail using a stolen arrow key on March 3, 2024, from an outdoor locked mail area on the 2200 block of 17th Street NW; the theft of mail using a stolen arrow key on March 4, 2024, from the 2400 block of Ontario Road, NW; the theft of mail on March 5, 2024, from the 2100 block of California Avenue NW; theft of mail on March 5, 2024, from the National Landing in Arlington, Va.; the theft of mail from cluster boxes using an arrow key on March 21, 2024, on the 1500 block of Pointer Ridge Place in Bowie, MD; and theft of mail on August 10, 2024, from the 700 block of Parkside Place, NE.

            De La Cruz is also suspected of using personal identifying information gleaned from the stolen mail to obtain bank accounts and credit cards in other people’s names. The defendant allegedly used money stolen from accounts to pay for student tuition, rent, utilities, and cell phone bills. According to the complaint, De La Cruz also posted a rap on YouTube boasting of his exploits.

            This case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Army Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar.

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

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WASHINGTON – Gen Digital Inc. (formerly known as Symantec Corp.), of Tempe, Arizona, paid $55.1 million to satisfy a judgment, concluding a decade of False Claims Act litigation. The judgment required the company to pay $16.1 million in damages and $36.8 million in civil penalties, plus post-judgment interest and costs.

            The judgement was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; GSA Deputy Inspector General Robert C. Erickson.

            Following a four-week bench trial in February and March 2022, the trial court found Symantec liable for making knowing false claims to the United States when it mispresented its commercial sales practices during the negotiation and subsequent performance of a General Services Administration (GSA) contract. In particular, the court concluded that Symantec made false statements to GSA during contractual negotiations in 2006 and early-2007 and continued to falsely certify throughout the performance of the contract through Sept. 30, 2012, that its disclosures of its commercial sales practices were current, accurate and complete. The false disclosures induced GSA to accept and then continue to pay higher prices than it would have had it known of Symantec’s actual commercial pricing practices.

            The court also found that Symantec continuously violated the Price Reduction Clause, a standard term in these types of Multiple Award Schedule contracts that requires the contractor throughout performance of the contract to maintain GSA’s price position in relation to an identified customer or category of customer agreed upon in contract negotiations. These violations deprived the United States of discounts to which it was entitled.

            “The trial team secured a $55 million judgment that holds accountable a contractor who intentionally tried to overbill the government,” said U.S. Attorney Graves for the District of Columbia. “Because these schemes steal taxpayer dollars, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will be steadfast in its efforts to bring fraudsters to justice no matter the complexity of the matter, pursuing them through trial, if necessary, to secure a just outcome.”

            “The department will hold accountable contractors that knowingly overcharge the United States to enrich themselves,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The years spent litigating this case and taking it to trial demonstrate the department’s steadfast commitment to protecting taxpayer funds.”

            “The United States deserves fair prices and accurate information from GSA contractors,” said GSA Deputy Inspector General Erickson. “This outcome is the result of hard work and dedication by a cross-functional team from the U.S. Department of Justice, GSA and GSA Office of Inspector General.”

            Gen Digital’s payment ends a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The Act permits the United States to intervene and take over responsibility for litigating these cases, as the United States did here. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Morsell v. Symantec Corp., Civ. A. No. 12-0800 (DDC), and was brought by Lori Morsell, who administered the contract at issue for Symantec. Her share of the recovery has not yet been determined.

            This successful litigation was a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, with assistance from GSA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General.

            The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Civil Chief Brian P. Hudak for the District of Columbia, and Senior Trial Counsel Daniel Schiffer and Trial Attorney F. Elias Boujaoude of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

Gen Digital Inc. (formerly known as Symantec Corp.), located in Tempe, Arizona, paid $55.1 million to satisfy a judgment, concluding a decade of False Claims Act litigation. The judgment required the company to pay $16.1 million in damages and $36.8 million in civil penalties, plus post-judgment interest and costs.

“The department will hold accountable contractors that knowingly overcharge the United States to enrich themselves,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The years spent litigating this case and taking it to trial demonstrate the department’s steadfast commitment to protecting taxpayer funds.”

Following a four-week bench trial in February and March 2022, the trial court found Symantec liable for making knowing false claims to the United States when it mispresented its commercial sales practices during the negotiation and subsequent performance of a General Services Administration (GSA) contract. In particular, the court concluded that Symantec made false statements to GSA during contractual negotiations in 2006 and early-2007 and continued to falsely certify throughout the performance of the contract through Sept. 30, 2012, that its disclosures of its commercial sales practices were current, accurate and complete. The false disclosures induced GSA to accept and then continue to pay higher prices than it would have had it known of Symantec’s actual commercial pricing practices.

The court also found that Symantec continuously violated the Price Reduction Clause, a standard term in these types of Multiple Award Schedule contracts that requires the contractor throughout performance of the contract to maintain GSA’s price position in relation to an identified customer or category of customer agreed upon in contract negotiations. These violations deprived the United States of discounts to which it was entitled.

“The trial team secured a $55 million judgment that holds accountable a contractor who intentionally tried to overbill the government,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Because these schemes steal taxpayer dollars, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will be steadfast in its efforts to bring fraudsters to justice no matter the complexity of the matter, pursuing them through trial, if necessary, to secure a just outcome.”

“The United States deserves fair prices and accurate information from GSA contractors,” said GSA Deputy Inspector General Robert C. Erickson. “This outcome is the result of hard work and dedication by a cross-functional team from the U.S. Department of Justice, GSA and GSA Office of Inspector General.”

Gen Digital’s payment ends a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The Act permits the United States to intervene and take over responsibility for litigating these cases, as the United States did here. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Morsell v. Symantec Corp., Civ. A. No. 12-0800 (DDC), and was brought by Lori Morsell, who administered the contract at issue for Symantec. Her share of the recovery has not yet been determined.

This successful litigation was a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from GSA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General.

Senior Trial Counsel Daniel Schiffer and Trial Attorney F. Elias Boujaoude of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Civil Chief Brian P. Hudak for the District of Columbia handled the matter.

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Josiah Hampton, 26, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court for his role in a multi-year drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division.

           On November 26, 2024, after a six-day jury trial, Hampton was found guilty of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and oxycodone, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge Amit P. Mehta scheduled sentencing for March 19, 2025.

           The ATF identified Hampton, also known by his rap alias “Carti Ears,” as an opioid and marijuana dealer operating in the District of Columbia. On October 31, 2022, ATF agents executed a search warrant at Hampton’s residence, which he shared with co-conspirator Myles Allen, and recovered three firearms, numerous prescription oxycodone pills, fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, promethazine, several pounds of marijuana, and several thousand dollars in cash.

           Evidence presented over the course of the trial established that Hampton was a prolific drug trafficker who utilized social media to conduct his business. Both Hampton and Allen also posted numerous pictures of themselves together with large quantities of cash, firearms, and bulk marijuana. Hampton referred to himself as “The Neighborhood Pharmacist,” posting frequent advertisements about the opioids he possessed for sale.

           On August 31, 2023, Myles Allen pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced, on December 20, 2023, to five years in prison.

           Hampton faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it and conspiracy thereof. Hampton also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a statutory maximum of life imprisonment, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed.

           This case was investigated by ATF’s Washington Field Division with assistance from the DEA’s Washington Division, the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

           This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Solomon S. Eppel of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

          WASHINGTON – Deangelo Jones, 21, of Washington, D.C., was charged by criminal complaint with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a felony, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Jones appeared in court today and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing.

          According to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, at approximately 10:47 a.m. on November 7, 2024, ShotSpotter technology alerted to the sound of five gunshots in the front of 78 53rd Place Southeast, Washington, D.C. When MPD responded to the area, they located a shooting victim in a car in the 5300 block of Central Avenue Southeast, Washington D.C. The victim was suffering from a gunshot wound to the left eye. During the initial interaction with law enforcement, officers determined the victim was driving southbound on 53rd Place Southeast when shots were fired. A review of surveillance cameras in the area showed the suspect at 53rd place Southeast just two minutes before the shooting. Two minutes later, the victim’s vehicle traveled southbound and out of view. Just after, the suspect can be seen on the west sidewalk walking southbound. The suspect retrieved a large firearm and appeared to shoot the firearm multiple times southbound in the direction of victim’s vehicle. The suspect fired, then briefly ran south in the direction of the victim’s vehicle and out of camera view. Approximately nine seconds later, the suspect returned to the camera’s view and ran northbound on 53rd Place Southeast.

          A search of the suspect’s home led to discovery of a Glock firearm which was not the weapon used in the shooting but which the suspect admitted he had acquired. Jones has a prior conviction for carrying a pistol without a license, in D.C. Superior Court and a conviction in Montgomery County, Maryland for unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. 

          This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department.

          It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Yarbro.

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

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WASHINGTON – Donald Zepeda, 35, of Maryland, and Jackson Green, 27, of Utah, were sentenced in U.S. District Court to 24 months in prison and 18 months respectively in the February 14, 2024, attack on the U.S. Constitution housed at the National Archives in Washington D.C.

            The sentencings, which occurred earlier this month, were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Zepeda pleaded guilty on August 15 to felony destruction of property for dumping a fine red powder over a display case containing the U.S. Constitution in the Rotunda of the Archives building. The cost of cleaning up after the stunt, which was intended to draw attention to climate change, exceeded $58,000. In addition, the offense closed the Rotunda for four days, preventing students, visitors, and D.C. residents from visiting. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Zepeda to serve 24 months of supervised release, to pay restitution in the amount of $58,600, to complete community service, a portion of which must include cleaning up graffiti, and ordered him to stay out of the District of Columbia and all museums nationwide.

            Green also pleaded guilty on August 13 to felony destruction of property for the red powder attack on the U.S. Constitution and, in addition, pleaded guilty to one count of injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit for his November 14, 2023, defacement of a memorial to Black Civil War soldiers, Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial (1900). Green had been charged in the assault on the Shaw Memorial only 13 days before Zepeda joined him in soiling the Archives. In addition to the prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Green to serve 24 months of supervised release, to pay restitution in the amount of $58,600, to complete community service, a portion of which must include cleaning up graffiti, and ordered him to stay out of the District of Columbia and all museums nationwide.  In addition to his role in the attack on the Constitution, Zepeda helped organize and filmed the attack on the Shaw memorial. Zepeda was also involved in the April 2023 attack on the display of Degas’ Little Dancer Aged Fourteen at the National Gallery of Art.

            According to court papers, Zepeda and Green are members of Declare Emergency, a group of activists that purport to raise awareness regarding climate change by engaging in a variety of criminal offenses, primarily in Washington, D.C.

Green (left) and Zepeda posed for photographs on February 14, 2024, after dumping red powder on a display case housing the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives.

            Zepeda and Green’s criminal actions predate the attacks on the U.S. Constitution. During the week of April 24, 2023, Zepeda and other members of Declare Emergency orchestrated an escalating series of offenses in Washington, D.C. that included blocking rush hour traffic on April 24, 2023, and April 26, 2023. Zepeda also helped plan and participated in the April 27, 2023, attack on the National Gallery of Art exhibition of Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Zepeda filmed as two group members smeared red and black paint on the case, base, and floor surrounding the exhibit. Zepeda purchased the paint used in the offense one week before the defacement. Zepeda has hosted trainings for individuals who were interested in participating in similar attacks.

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On November 14, 2023, Green defaced The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial which commemorates the Civil War efforts of one of the first regiments of African Americans in our country’s history.

            On November 14, 2023, Green, Zepeda, and other members of Declare Emergency, entered the National Gallery of Art (NGA), and approached Augustus Saint-Gauden’s The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, which commemorates the Civil War efforts of one of the first regiments of African Americans in our country’s history. Green then hand-painted “Honor Them” in red paint on the wall next to the mural, below the inscribed names of the Regiment. Zepeda and other members of Declare Emergency filmed Green’s actions. NGA reported that it cost $706 to repair the damage.

            On February 6, 2024, Green self-surrendered and made his initial appearance before the Honorable G. Michael Harvey. As a condition of Green’s release, Judge Harvey ordered Green to stay-away from Washington, D.C. and also to stay away from all museums and public monuments. While under oath, Green stated that he understood these conditions and agreed to them.

            Despite his express acknowledgment of his release conditions, on February 14, 2024, Green, accompanied by Zepeda, entered the National Archives at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Green and Zepeda stood in front of the display of the U.S. Constitution and emptied bags containing red powder on themselves and the case. The offense was captured by several video cameras. Green and Zepeda were still covered in powder when law enforcement arrested them.

Zepeda (left) and Green were photographed covered in red powder after their attack on the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives in Washington D.C.

            The National Archives was closed from February 14, 2024, to February 17, 2024, to allow for repairs which cost approximately $58,646.25.

            On February 16, 2024, Green appeared in Court, still covered in red powder from his attack on the Constitution. Green was detained until a hearing on February 21, 2024, after which he was released to the custody of a farm in Virginia. On August 15, 2024, Green pleaded guilty, without a plea agreement, to both counts of the indictment against him. Despite that, he immediately violated his conditions of release, wandering around Washington, D.C., including around the monuments which he was barred from visiting. At a hearing held on August 30, 2024, Green indicated to the Court that he would not abide by his release conditions and was remanded into custody.

           The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with assistance from the National Archives, the National Gallery of Art Police, and U.S. Park Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Tepfer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Jackson Green (left) and Donald Zepeda.

WASHINGTON – Maurice Edwards, 20, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty on November 21, 2024, by a Superior Court jury, of armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, for his role in a March 2024 traffic-accident-turned-carjacking in the Deanwood neighborhood of Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld scheduled sentencing for January 22, 2025.  Armed carjacking carries a mandatory minimum term of fifteen years of incarceration.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of March 11, 2024, Edwards drove a car through a stop sign and struck the victim’s vehicle at the intersection of 48th Pl. NE and Lee St. NE, as the victim was driving home from work.  After Edwards and his co-conspirator got out of their car, Edwards pulled a gun on the victim, causing the victim to retreat from his driver’s side door.  Edwards’ co-conspirator got into the victim’s car and drove away, and Edwards chased after the victim and held him down, allowing his co-conspirator to make off with the victim’s car.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case was investigated, prosecuted, and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and Mark Levy.

WASHINGTON – Deangelo Richardson, 22, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for committing an armed carjacking on July 14, 2022 and armed robbery on November 26, 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Richardson pleaded guilty on August 2, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of armed carjacking and one count of armed robbery. Today, Judge Erik Christian sentenced Richardson to 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 14, 2022, Richardson, along with two unidentified co-conspirators, committed a series of violent offenses in Washington, D.C., ending with an armed carjacking near the 600 block of Morton Place NE. During the commission of each violent crime, all three assailants covered their faces. Richardson and his unidentified co-conspirators, armed with firearms, attempted to carjack two separate individuals before proceeding to the 600 block of Morton Place NE at approximately 6:49 p.m. Once at the location, they approached the victim who was parking her car at the location. One of the co-conspirators brandished a handgun and stated, “Give me everything!” Richardson and two associates took the victim’s car keys, phone, and credit cards attached to her phone, and other property. Then they took her car. Richardson later used the victim’s credit card at gas stations and a restaurant. 

            Richardson also committed an armed robbery that took place on November 26, 2022, near the 1300 block of South Carolina Avenue SE. At approximately 7:54 p.m., Richardson parked a car ahead of the victims who were walking their dog after dinner. When the couple walked near his car, the defendant jumped out with a gun and robbed the husband of his phone.  Richardson was arrested that evening after a vehicle pursuit.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Carjacking Task Force Unit. Valuable assistance provided by the FBI Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Evans and former Assistant United States Attorney Omeed Assefi.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in collaboration with the University of the District of Columbia Law School, hosted an event yesterday commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Several hundred attended the event in-person and online.

The Shepard-Byrd Act is a landmark federal statute passed in 2009 that allows federal criminal prosecution of hate crimes motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Yesterday’s event paid tribute to the lives of James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard, uplifted the voices of hate crime survivors, recognized ongoing efforts to combat hate crimes and hate incidents and called for the continued expansion of victim services to address the needs of survivors and their communities.  

“Fifteen years ago, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act gave the Justice Department critical tools that have made us more effective as we work to counter hate,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “We know that there is more work to be done, and the Department will keep working tirelessly to ensure that every person feels safe in their communities.”

In her opening remarks, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division expressed immense gratitude to those whose years of advocacy and activism made the passage of the Shepard-Byrd Act possible 15 years ago. She underscored the work that still needs to be done in prosecuting and preventing hate crimes, as recent statistics from the FBI indicate that the incidence of hate crimes is rising. Racial bias remained the most significant motivator for hate crimes in 2023, and anti-Black hate crimes continued to represent the largest portion of race-motivated hate crimes.

“The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act is one of our most powerful tools in efforts to combat violent bias-motivated hate crimes in America today,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke. “We know that prosecutions alone will not eliminate hate, root and branch, and that public education, training and prevention efforts are just as necessary. Hate mongers fueled with racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, anti-LGBTQI or xenophobic motivations have no place in America today. Rest assured, we will keep moving towards an inclusive and more peaceful America while holding accountable those responsible for senseless, vile, and hate-filled crimes.”

Dennis and Judy Shepard, the parents of Matthew Shepard, joined Assistant Attorney General Clarke for a fireside chat, and Louvon Byrd Harris, sister of James Byrd Jr., provided recorded remarks. The Shepards spoke about their son’s tragic death and his legacy—the work of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Ms. Harris spoke of her brother’s brutal murder and the family’s continued work to promote healing through the Byrd Foundation.

Also on the program, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia highlighted the district’s hate crimes enforcement work and his office’s longstanding commitment to working with local community organizations through the district’s Hate/Bias Crime Task Force.

“The murders of James Byrd and Matthew Sheppard rocked our collective conscience,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “When victims are targeted because of their identities, it can put those with identities like the victims on edge, wondering if they will be next.  As we mark the anniversary of the Shepard-Byrd Act, our Office reaffirms its commitment to hold accountable those who commit hate- and bias-related crimes.”

The trial team that prosecuted U.S. v. Daqua Ritter explained how they secured the first guilty verdict in trial under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for violence against a transgender person — the brutal murder of Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman in South Carolina. Ritter was sentenced to life in prison.

Taylor Dumpson-Lippincott, an attorney and former student government body president at American University, shared her experience as the target of racially- and gender-motivated hate and cyber-harassment. She explained how her experience as a survivor fueled her passion to combat hate-based violence and threats, especially on school campuses.

The program also featured voices of survivors and their families. In 2017, 1st Lt. Richard W. Collins III was murdered in an unprovoked attack on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park, by a follower of a white nationalist hate-group. Parents Dawn and Richard Collins described how in the years since their son’s murder, they have led efforts at HBCUs and beyond to educate the public about the proliferation of hate groups targeting majority-white colleges and universities for recruitment.

On the panel with the Collins family, Daphne Felten-Green shared examples of her work with the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service educating colleges and universities in conjunction with the Divided Communities Project at the Ohio State Moritz College of Law. Benny Del Castillo of Network for Victim Recovery DC spoke of local efforts at survivor-centered responses to hate crimes.

For more information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat hate and hate crimes, see the updated Hate Crimes Fact Sheet.

WASHINGTON – Willie Byrd, 61, of Washington D.C., has been found guilty of committing a violent assault in February 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The Superior Court jury returned its verdict on November 19, 2024, finding Byrd guilty of one count aggravated assault while armed and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for January 31, 2025. 

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 8:30 pm, on February 28, 2023, the defendant stabbed the victim in the chest with a large fixed-blade knife, near the corner of 2nd and D Streets N.W. Before the stabbing occurred, the defendant was trying to take money from the victim while attempting to conduct a drug transaction. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries to multiple organs and required surgery and an extended hospital stay.

            MPD officers and detectives reviewed surveillance video footage of the stabbing from the nearby Federal City Shelter, which led to Byrd’s identification as the assailant. MPD detectives located Byrd inside of the shelter, and he was placed under arrest.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves 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 Attorneys Erica Rudolf and Ella Gladman, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Evans, who investigated the case.

WASHINGTON – Devonta Lynch, 18, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday in Superior Court to armed carjacking in relation to a November 29, 2023 offense, robbery in relation to a November 12, 2023 offense, and carrying a pistol without a license on November 12, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro scheduled sentencing for December 5, 2025.

            According to the Government’s evidence, Lynch and an accomplice carjacked an off-duty federal agent at gunpoint on November 29, 2023, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Northeast, D.C. The perpetrators knocked the victim to the ground next to their vehicle, pointed a firearm at them, demanded their keys, and then drove off in their vehicle.

            Additionally, about two weeks earlier, the defendant and two accomplices robbed a rideshare driver at gunpoint in the Benning Ridge neighborhood of Southeast, D.C. The perpetrators struck the victim in the head, pointed two firearms at him, demanded his phone, wallet, and keys, took the victims’ wallet out of his pocket, and then drove off in the victim’s vehicle.

            This case was investigated by the MPD Carjacking Task Force and the FBI Washington Field Office's Violent Crimes Task Force.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Bromwich and Anthony Cocuzza.

WASHINGTON – Mahmoud Al Hafyan, 53, a Syrian national, has been charged in a 12-count indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court, alleging major fraud against the United States for illegally diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid intended for Syrian civilians to armed combatant groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), which is a designated foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.

            The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jason Donnelly of the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG), and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division.

            “This defendant not only defrauded the U.S. government, but he also gave the humanitarian aid he stole to a foreign terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “While this foreign terrorist organization fought with the cruel al-Assad regime, the people who were supposed to receive the aid suffered.  This office has a history of pursuing criminals around the globe, no matter how many years it takes, and will do all it can to ensure that Mahmoud Al Hafyan is held accountable for these crimes.”

            “USAID OIG works tirelessly to ensure that US-funded humanitarian assistance does not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations,” said Donnelly of USAID-OIG. “We will continue to work with the Department of Justice and law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who compromise USAID programs for vulnerable populations around the world.”

            “The FBI’s number one priority is to fight terrorism, including identifying and investigating individuals who are enabling terrorist activities through financial support,” said Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division. “Al Hafyan diverted millions of dollars in USAID funding to support the terrorist organization Al-Nusrah Front, as well as to line his own pockets. Not only was Al Hafyan supporting violent terrorists, but he was stealing money from the U.S. government that was meant for humanitarian efforts. This public indictment is the culmination of years of work, and I want to thank our partners, specifically USAID OIG, for their work with this investigation.”

            According to the indictment, Al Hafyan, aka Abu Abdo Al-Homsi, was the head of a non-governmental organization (NGO-1) in the NGO’s regional office in Syria. Al Hafyan managed 160 NGO-1 employees.

            Syria has been involved in a civil war since 2011 that resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Through USAID, the U.S. Government spent more than $12 billion until 2020 to aid Syrian civilians affected by the war.  USAID-funded humanitarian assistance programs are administered by United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations. The funding in this case was intended for food and medical supplies.

            USAID awarded $122 million to NGO-1 between January 2015 through November 2018. That money was intended for food kits for conflict-affected Syrian refugees. Along with at least two co-conspirators, Al Hafyan directed food kits valued at millions of dollars to commanders leading ANF. ANF’s primary objective was the overthrow of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. ANF was notorious for the atrocities it committed and publicly took responsibility for conducting mass executions of civilians, suicide bombings, and kidnappings.

            Al Hafyan sold the kits on the black market to the ANF commanders for his personal benefit. Al Hafyan and his coconspirators falsified beneficiary logs and inflated the number of food kits received by war-affected families in the Syrian villages of Bweiti, Lof, Mazratt-Shoukh, and Salamin to fraudulently make it appear that NGO-1 was dispersing the kits according to NGO-1’s guidelines.

            The case represents one of the most significant diversions of USAID-funded humanitarian aid that USAID-OIG has investigated.

            The case was investigated by USAID-OIG and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Seifert, Alexandra Hughes, and Jack Korba of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

WASHINGTON – James S. Carroll, 55, of Washington D.C., was arrested today on a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, charging him in connection with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Carroll, the Head of School at an early education center in Northwest Washington D.C., is charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He made his first court appearance today before Magistrate Court Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh.

            According to the criminal complaint, between November 5, 2024 and November 14, 2024, Carroll used the Discord messaging application to communicate with an undercover officer who posed as the father of a young child. Carroll directed the undercover officer to abuse his child over a period of approximately two weeks. Law enforcement agents identified Carroll as the Discord user based on IP addresses that traced back to both his residence and workplace.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes agents and officers from the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie.

            To report child exploitation, call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

           A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

WASHINGTON – Corrections Officer Rashaad Roper, 45, of Gaithersburg, MD, is one of five people charged by indictment, unsealed today, in a conspiracy to provide a knife, drugs, and cell phones to inmates in the D.C. jail as they awaited trial for murder and assault with intent to kill while armed. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Investigator Kevin L. Hammond of the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services.

            Also named in the indictment are: LaTara Brown, 31, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, and Kiya Holland, 33, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, who were arrested on November 19, 2024. Roper, Brown, Holland, and their co-defendants—Darius Robertson, 31, Marcel Vines, 28, and Stefon Freshley, 28—are each charged with providing or possessing contraband in a prison, as well as conspiring to do so.

            According to the indictment, Holland and Brown packaged contraband, such as a knife, cell phones, and controlled substances, into Tupperware containers hidden concealed in saranwrap in the middle of prepared food. They would bring the Tupperware containers to the Central Detention Facility, also known as the D.C. Jail, where Officer Roper or another corrections officer identified in the indictment as Co-Conspirator 1, would take possession of the containers and smuggle them into the jail. Once inside, the corrections officer would deliver the contraband to Robertson, Vines, and/or Freshley, who were inmates inside the housing unit where the officers worked.

            On two occasions, the Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services (“OIS”) recovered contraband related to the conspiracy. On February 28, 2024, OIS intercepted a bag Holland dropped off at the jail and that Roper intended to pick up. The bag contained two Tupperware containers filled with: (1) one switchblade knife; (2) one Apple iPhone cellphone; (3) a white USB iPhone charger; (4) two pairs of eyeglasses; (5) a bundle marijuana wrapped in clear saranwrap; (6) suspected tobacco wrapped in clear saranwrap; (7) several sheets of white rolling papers; (8) a pair of gambling dice; (9) three white sheets of bonded paper that were damp and emitted a chemical odor; (10) two saran-wrapped packages of marijuana; and (11) five individually wrapped packages in clear saranwrap containing approximately 100 cigarettes.

           Additionally, on July 25, 2024, OIS did a sweep of the housing unit where Robertson, Vines, and Freshley were held. Officers recovered, among other things, (1) 269 blue pills (including 120 from Vines’ cell), containing 5F-ADB—a synthetic cannabinoid and a Schedule I controlled substance; (2) 60 cigarettes soaked in an unknown liquid (including 40 in Vines’ cell); (3) 255 strips containing Buprenorphine (170 in Vines’ cell)—a Schedule III narcotic controlled substance; (4) 7 pieces of paper soaked in an unknown liquid substance; (5) three cellular phones; and (6) cigarettes.

           The conspiracy charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, while providing or possessing contraband in a prison carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. A U.S. District court judge will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other factors.

           This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services with the assistance of the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold.

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

WASHINGTON – Kyree Anthony Hairston, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 204 months in prison, for voluntary manslaughter while armed with a firearm, for the February 2024 shooting death of David Coe, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Hairston pleaded guilty on August 9, 2024, to one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed with a firearm. Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein sentenced Hairston, on November 15, 2024, to the top of the guideline period of incarceration, 17 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 2:45 p.m., on February 3, 2024, Hairston and the victim, Mr. David Coe, were in the parking lot area of the Arbor View Apartment Complex, located in the 1200 block of Southern Avenue in Southeast, Washington, DC.  The two engaged in a conversation, part of which was captured on the audio portion of video surveillance footage that also captured the shooting. On the surveillance, the defendant can be heard stating, “on my grandmother, you got 30 seconds. On my grandmother” and “you trippin like sh*t.” The surveillance shows Hairston pull the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, which covered part of his face. Hairston then removed a black handgun from his jacket pocket and pointed it at Mr. Coe.  Mr. Coe lunged forward to try and disarm Hairston, but Hairston shot him in the chest before he could do so. The victim fell to the ground and as he laid there, Hairston shot Mr. Coe again. Mr. Coe was shot four times and died twenty minutes later.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Marybeth Manfreda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

WASHINGTON, DC – Geary Simon, 71, of Washington, D.C., entered a guilty plea today to one count of wire fraud in connection with a presidentially declared disaster or emergency and to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The guilty plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

            According to court filings, Simon obtained $38,560 from a D.C. government program called Stronger Together by Assisting You D.C. (STAY DC). The STAY DC program was intended to provide financial assistance to tenants living in the District who needed support during the COVID-19 pandemic to cover their housing and utility expenses due to a loss of income. In April 2021, the city allocated $352 million in federal relief funds for the program. Applicants applied for funds from the STAY DC program via an online portal operated by the D.C. Department of Human Services (DC-DHS).

            Court filings show that Simon applied to the STAY DC program on June 22, 2021. In his application, SIMON stated that he was a tenant who rented a property in Washington, D.C., located at 2433 H Street, NW; that his landlord was “Robert Sutton”; that Simon owed “Robert Sutton” the sum of $72,000 in past due rent for the months of April 2020 through July 2021; that the telephone number for “Robert Sutton” was (***) ***-6933; and that “Robert Sutton” could be contacted at the email address *******@gmail.com.  All of these statements were materially false and misleading. Simon was not a “tenant” at that address; “Robert Sutton” was not Simon’s landlord; Simon did not owe “Robert Sutton” the sum of $72,000 in unpaid rent; and the phone number and email address that Simon provided for “Robert Sutton” were actually for a phone number and email account that Simon created and controlled. Unaware of the fraud, DC-DHS granted Simon’s application for funding and issued Simon a check in the amount of $38,560 that DC-DHS would not otherwise have approved.

           After receiving those funds from DC-DHS, court documents explain, Simon used those taxpayer-backed relief funds for personal purposes, such as to pay the private school tuition of Simon’s children and to satisfy Simon’s court-ordered child support obligations.

           On March 14, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Simon’s personal residence and recovered two firearms. Simon has at least two prior felony convictions, including a conviction for carrying a pistol without a license. By virtue of those prior felonies, Simon was prohibited from possessing any firearms under federal law.

           A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 11, 2025. Simon faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison on the wire fraud charge and a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison on the firearms possession charge.

           This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John W. Borchert.

WASHINGTON – Beysean Jones, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 80 years in prison for the July 2022 deadly shooting of Ronald Brown, 19, and Tijuan Wilson, 41, in Southeast Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            A Superior Court jury found Jones guilty of two counts of first-degree murder while armed, one count of assault with intent to kill, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a crime on June 26, 2024, before the Honorable Michael O’Keefe.

            According to the evidence presented during trial, on July 22, 2022, Beysean Jones and Ronald Brown argued at the SC Discount Tobacco and Grocery store on South Capitol St. SW. Shortly thereafter, shots fired from Brown’s vehicle struck Jones’ vehicle and Jones returned fire in the 4000 block of Livingston Rd. SE. A civilian witness who associated with Jones in the drug trade testified about texts he received from Jones about the shooting on the 22nd and Jones’ actions in preparing to retaliate against Brown, including putting a $30,000 bounty on the person who shot him.

            Just five days later, surveillance video captured a vehicle follow Ronald Brown’s vehicle into a residential parking lot surrounded by apartments in the 4300 block of 4th St. SE. That vehicle backed into a parking space several spaces down from Brown’s vehicle and at least two shooters opened fire with both .40 caliber and rifle rounds, firing over 60 rounds in the direction of Brown. This barrage of fire killed Tijuan Wilson and badly injured his partner of over 18 years, though luckily their children, who were outside at the time, were unharmed. Others in the parking lot returned fire. Multiple vehicles and residential buildings were damaged by gunfire.

            Casings left behind on July 27th near the suspect vehicle were ballistically linked to the casings Jones fired at Brown on July 22nd.

            The convictions would not have been possible without the assistance of the extraordinary efforts of Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Squad, led by Detective Konstantinos “Gus” Giannakoulias, and the excellent work of personnel from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including, Lead Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity, Paralegal Specialist LaShone Samuels, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Latrice Washington-Williams, Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling, Litigation Technology Specialist Sigourney Jackson, Witness Security Specialist Marlon Hernandez, Witness Security Specialist Robert Cephas, Supervisory Victim Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams, Victim Witness Service Coordinator Shanika McCullough, Homicide Interns Tasha Dambacher and Karen Padilla, and former Homicide Intern Xander de los Reyes.

            It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Antonelli and Zach Horton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

An Ohio man was sentenced today to three years in prison for his operation of the darknet cryptocurrency “mixer” Helix, which processed transactions involving over $300 million worth of cryptocurrency from 2014 to 2017.

According to court documents, Larry Dean Harmon, 41, of Akron, ran Helix, a darknet mixer that laundered customers’ bitcoin. Helix was connected to Grams, a darknet search engine also run by Harmon. Helix was one of the most popular mixing services on the darknet and was highly sought after by online drug dealers who needed to launder their illicit proceeds. Helix processed at least approximately 354,468 bitcoin — the equivalent of approximately $311,145,854 in U.S. dollars at the time of the transactions — on behalf of its customers, including customers in the District of Columbia. Much of those funds were coming from or going to darknet drug markets. Harmon retained a percentage of these transactions as his commissions and fees for operating Helix.

Harmon worked to ensure Grams and Helix connected to or otherwise supported all of the major darknet markets at the time. Harmon developed an Application Program Interface (API) to allow darknet markets to integrate Helix directly into their bitcoin withdrawal systems. Harmon also customized features of Helix to ensure compatibility with significant markets. Investigators traced tens of millions of dollars from darknet markets to Helix.

On Aug. 18, 2021, Harmon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In addition to his term in prison, Harmon was sentenced to three years of supervised release; a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $311,145,854; and forfeiture of seized cryptocurrencies, real estate, and monetary assets valued at over $400 million.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of FBI’s Cyber Division made the announcement.

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

The Attorney General’s Ministry of Belize and Belize Police Department provided essential support for the investigation, coordinated through U.S. Embassy Belmopan. The investigation was coordinated with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which assessed a $60 million civil monetary penalty against Harmon in a parallel action.

Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Riane Harper and former Trial Attorney W. Joss Nichols of CCIPS, Paralegal Specialist Angela De Falco for the District of Columbia, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Riedl for the Northern District of Ohio provided valuable assistance.

WASHINGTON — Larry Dean Harmon, 41, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced today to three years in prison for his operation of the darknet cryptocurrency “mixer” Helix, which processed transactions involving over $300 million worth of cryptocurrency from 2014 to 2017.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Chief Guy Ficco of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office and Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division.

          Harmon pleaded guilty on August 18, 2021, to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

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

           Harmon worked to ensure Grams and Helix connected to or otherwise supported all of the major darknet markets at the time. Harmon developed an Application Program Interface (API) to allow darknet markets to integrate Helix directly into their bitcoin withdrawal systems. Harmon also customized features of Helix to ensure compatibility with significant markets. Investigators traced tens of millions of dollars from darknet markets to Helix.

            In addition to his term of imprisonment, Harmon was sentenced to three years of supervised release; a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $311,145,854; and forfeiture of seized cryptocurrencies, real estate, and monetary assets valued at over $400 million.

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

           The Attorney General’s Ministry of Belize and the Belize Police Department provided essential support for the investigation, coordinated through the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan. The investigation was coordinated with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which assessed a $60 million civil monetary penalty against Harmon in a parallel action.

          Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Riane Harper and former Trial Attorney W. Joss Nichols of CCIPS, Paralegal Specialist Angela De Falco for the District of Columbia, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Riedl for the Northern District of Ohio provided valuable assistance.

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WASHINGTON – Dennis Vanison, 31, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, was sentenced today, to 84 months in prison for his participation in the May 2023 carjacking of a delivery driver, and carrying a pistol without a license, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Anthony A. Spotswood, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department. 

            Vanison pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of carrying a pistol without a license, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, on August 13, 2024. Judge Robert A. Salerno also sentenced Vanison to three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.

            According to the government’s evidence, Vanison and an unidentified accomplice carjacked a food delivery driver on May 2, 2023. The victim had just dropped off a delivery in the 2400 block of Wagner Street Southeast when Vanison’s accomplice stole items from the victim’s car. When the victim went to retrieve his belongings, Vanison and his accomplice attacked the victim and attempted to take his phone. During the attack, the accomplice produced a gun and pointed it at the victim, and at Vanison’s direction, snatched the victim’s keys from his pocket. Vanison and his accomplice then fled the scene, driving away in their car and the victim’s car, respectively. 

            The next morning, members of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department encountered Vanison inside an SUV several feet from the victim’s car, which was parked and idling in an alley.  Vanison’s cellphone and keychain were found inside the victim’s car, and a fully loaded pistol was found at Vanison’s feet inside the SUV. Vanison was apprehended on May 3, 2023, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Spotswood, and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Omeed A. Assefi; Investigative Analyst Stephen Jones; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Renee Prather; and Paralegal Specialist Marcella Trader. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Parron and Daniel Bromwich, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Darnell Peoples, 22, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today, to orally raping a senior citizen at her home, in Southeast Washington earlier this year, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Peoples pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of first-degree sexual abuse. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon twenty-year prison term. Following his prison term, Peoples will be required to complete a term of supervised release and register as a sex offender for the remainder of his lifetime.

           The Honorable Anthony C. Epstein scheduled sentencing for February 10, 2025.         

           According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on June 11, 2024, the victim was working in her yard. Peoples approached the victim from behind, displayed a knife, and told the victim to get on her knees. When the victim informed Peoples that she could not get on her knees, Peoples grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Peoples then pulled down his pants and exposed his penis. He pulled the victim’s head toward his penis and told the victim, “Shut up, shut up, put it in your mouth.” While the victim was screaming and shouting “No,” Peoples forcefully inserted his penis into the victim’s mouth multiple times.

           The defendant was arrested on the same day and has been in custody ever since.

           The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

           The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Sourbeer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – David Penn, 31, of Washington D.C. and a member of the violent Kennedy Street Crew (KDY), was sentenced today to 220 months in federal prison for his role in a massive drug trafficking organization that operated open-air markets in Northwest Washington D.C. where he dealt copious amounts of fentanyl and cocaine base and sold firearms, including an assault rifle.

           The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office.

            Penn, aka “Turtle,” pleaded guilty on June 27, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and to two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Penn to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, KDY members operated open-air drug markets on an 11-block stretch of Kennedy Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., as well as surrounding streets. Like many drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), KDY armed itself with fire power to facilitate the drug trade and defend its territory from rival crews.

            For his part, Penn was a bulk fentanyl supplier who trafficked narcotics and firearms in the Kennedy Street Neighborhood while armed with guns. During a span of five months, from December 2022 to May 2023, Penn conducted 17 controlled buys with undercover officers selling a total of about 257.73 grams of fentanyl, 11.15 grams of cocaine base, and semi-automatic firearms that included a Draco and an AR-15 assault rifle.

            On February 3, 2023, patrol officers in the 900 block of Kennedy Street NW stopped Penn’s vehicle wherein they found about 44 grams of fentanyl, 11 grams of cocaine base, 1.4 kilograms of marijuana, digital scales, one 22-round extended magazine with 22 rounds of ammunition; and one loaded machine gun.

            On February 23, 2023, wholly undeterred by his recent arrest, Penn agreed to sell an undercover officer a privately manufactured AR-15 assault rifle for $3,800.

            This investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. 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.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, ATF’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Office.

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

DEFENDANTS

NAME

AGE

CHARGES

            Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA; all remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C.

            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 – Mynor Josue Fernandez Alfaro, 24, of Dundalk, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 63 months in federal prison for participating in a drug trafficking scheme that distributed thousands of doses of lethally potent fentanyl in Washington D.C. and Maryland.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, Chief Marcus G. Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Fernandez Alfaro, aka “Mino,” pleaded guilty on June 21, 2024, to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the 63-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered Fernandez Alfaro to serve four years of supervised release.

            According to court papers, Fernandez admitted that, along with co-defendant Edward Steven Monge, 23, of Beltsville, Maryland, he supplied co-conspirator Jennifer Echeverria Flores with more than 4,500 blue pills that contained varying concentrations fentanyl. Echeverria Flores then sold the pills to an undercover law enforcement officer (UC) in five transactions between February and July 2023 in Washington, DC and Maryland. More than half of those pills contained more than what DEA estimates is a lethal concentration of fentanyl, 2 milligrams per pill.

            As part of his guilty plea, Fernandez Alfaro admitted that he distributed fentanyl to other redistributors and clients besides Echeverria Flores. Social media posts indicate that Fernandez Alfaro was involved in a lucrative distribution scheme as early as October 2022. Monge advertised the drugs for sale on his social media, while Fernandez Alfaro provided the drugs to customers and coordinated payment through his own CashApp account. Between July 2022 and July 2023, the pair netted more than $150,000 in incoming Cash App transactions, while not otherwise legitimately employed.

            Despite this large volume of digital payments, evidence suggests that Fernandez Alfaro and Monge primarily accepted payment for these pills in cash. Fernandez Alfaro’s Instagram account and cell phone contained dozens of photographs of him with significant amounts of cash, boasting of the scheme’s success.

Fernandez Alfaro posted photos to social media accounts where he boasted about his lucrative fentanyl sales.

            In addition to his distribution of significant quantities of fentanyl, Fernandez Alfaro, a citizen of El Salvador, used at least four different firearms to protect his supply and profits through intimidation and threats of violence. Many of these firearms appeared to have extended magazines or were military-style rifles.

            Co-conspirator Monge was sentenced on May 29, 2024, to 96 months in prison for his role in this scheme.

            This investigation 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.

            This investigation additionally was an effort of Montgomery County Police under the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN). MCIN was launched in 2017 and provides grant funding and strategic support through the Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services to MCIN member sites to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal organizations through inter-agency collaboration and data sharing to make Maryland safer. The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services (GOCPP) funded this project.

            This matter was investigated by the DEA – Washington Division. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Henek, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Leiter and Javier Urbina.

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WASHINGTON – Raymond Davese, 38, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Davese has been in custody since his arrest on June 7, 2024. His guilty plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 8-year prison sentence, to be followed by three years’ supervised release. Davese entered his guilty plea on November 13, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Heidi M. Pasichow.

            Judge Pasichow scheduled sentencing for February 21, 2025.

            During the plea hearing, Davese admitted that he carjacked a valet driver on June 7, 2024.  The victim had just parked a client’s SUV in the parking garage at 221 Tingey Street Southeast when Davese attacked her from behind, put her in a headlock, and deployed a taser into her neck.  After Davese brought the victim to the ground, he took the keys from her and drove away in the SUV. Davese crashed the SUV a short distance later and was apprehended on the scene by members of the Metropolitan Police Department. 

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Parron.

WASHINGTON – Devan Green, 30, of Washington D.C., has been found guilty today of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault with significant bodily injury while armed, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The verdict follows a seven-day jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Rainey Brandt scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2025. Green faces the potential maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment.

            According to the evidence presented at trial, Green held his girlfriend and her young child inside of their apartment against their will for over forty minutes while her family called 911 numerous times. Green stabbed his girlfriend once in the chest with a knife, and then when she went to check on her son, he stabbed her 20 more times. He then fled the apartment and was apprehended a month later.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Molly K. Smith and Katharine E. Yaske of the Domestic Violence Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  

WASHINGTON – Wendy Nicole Villatoro, 40, formerly of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to one count of bank fraud, for a scheme to submit fraudulent applications seeking money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that netted her $844,000.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, 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 current employee with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pleaded guilty to bank fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Carl J. Nichols scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 28, 2025.

            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.

            Villatoro faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of not more than $1,000,000. The statutory sentences for federal offenses are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes. Any sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            As part of her plea agreement, Villatoro has 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 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’s Washington Field Office Asset Forfeiture Unit. In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from USDA-OIG and SBA-OIG.

            “This investigation and prosecution should send a strong zero-tolerance message to those individuals, especially government employees, who explicitly apply for aid to exploit taxpayer funded pandemic relief programs,” said USDA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker. “We appreciate the partnership with our federal partners in pursuing this type of fraud and holding these bad actors to account in this great time of need.”

            “This is a case of an individual exploiting pandemic relief programs for personal gain, diverting critical funds meant to help small businesses in need,” said SBA-OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite. “Our office remains committed to holding accountable those who engage in fraud and abuse these vital resources. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in bringing this case to justice.”

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

            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/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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Ilya Lichtenstein was sentenced today to five years in prison for his involvement in a money laundering conspiracy arising from the hack and theft of approximately 120,000 bitcoin from Bitfinex, a global cryptocurrency exchange.

According to court documents, Lichtenstein, 35, hacked into Bitfinex’s network in 2016, using advanced hacking tools and techniques. Once inside the network, Lichtenstein fraudulently authorized more than 2,000 transactions transferring 119,754 bitcoin from Bitfinex to a cryptocurrency wallet in Lichtenstein’s control. Lichtenstein then took steps to cover his tracks by deleting from Bitfinex’s network access credentials and other log files that could have revealed his conduct to law enforcement. Following the hack, Lichtenstein enlisted the help of his wife, Heather Morgan, in laundering the stolen funds.

Lichtenstein, at times with Morgan’s assistance, employed numerous sophisticated laundering techniques, including using fictitious identities to set up online accounts; utilizing computer programs to automate transactions; depositing the stolen funds into accounts at a variety of darknet markets and cryptocurrency exchanges and then withdrawing the funds; converting bitcoin to other forms of cryptocurrency in a practice known as “chain hopping”; depositing a portion of the criminal proceeds into cryptocurrency mixing services; using U.S.-based business accounts to legitimize Lichtenstein’s and Morgan’s banking activity; and exchanging a portion of the stolen funds into gold coins.

On Aug. 3, 2023, Lichtenstein and Morgan both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Lichtenstein was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division; Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office made the announcement.

The IRS-CI Washington D.C. Cyber Crimes Unit, FBI Chicago Field Office, FBI Virtual Assets Unit, and HSI New York Field Office are investigating the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Ansbach Police Department in Germany.

Trial Attorneys Jessica Peck and C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman, Paralegal Specialists Angela De Falco and Brian Rickers, and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, all for the District of Columbia, provided valuable assistance. CCIPS Trial Attorney Christen Gallagher, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Brooks for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Southern District of New York, and the HSI Philadelphia Field Office also provided significant assistance.

Consistent with standard practice in criminal forfeiture cases, there will be a formal process pursuant to Rule 32.2 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure for third-party claimants to submit claims for any seized and forfeited property. Additional information is available on the Justice Department’s website for large cases at www.justice.gov/usao-dc/2016-bitfinex-hack. 

WASHINGTON – Ilya Lichtenstein, 35, of New York City, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. to 60 months in federal prison for his involvement in a money laundering conspiracy arising from the hack and theft of approximately 120,000 bitcoin from Bitfinex, a global cryptocurrency exchange.

          The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Chief Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division; FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, of the Chicago Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office.

           According to court documents, Lichtenstein hacked into Bitfinex’s network in 2016, using advanced hacking tools and techniques. Once inside the network, Lichtenstein fraudulently authorized more than 2,000 transactions transferring 119,754 bitcoin from Bitfinex to a cryptocurrency wallet in Lichtenstein’s control. Lichtenstein then took steps to cover his tracks by deleting from Bitfinex’s network access credentials and other log files that could have revealed his conduct to law enforcement. Following the hack, Lichtenstein enlisted the help of his wife, Heather Morgan, in laundering the stolen funds.

          Lichtenstein, at times with Morgan’s assistance, employed numerous sophisticated laundering techniques, including using fictitious identities to set up online accounts; utilizing computer programs to automate transactions; depositing the stolen funds into accounts at a variety of darknet markets and cryptocurrency exchanges and then withdrawing the funds; converting bitcoin to other forms of cryptocurrency in a practice known as “chain hopping;” depositing a portion of the criminal proceeds into cryptocurrency mixing services; using U.S.-based business accounts to legitimize Lichtenstein’s and Morgan’s banking activity; and exchanging a portion of the stolen funds into gold coins. 

          On Aug. 3, 2023, Lichtenstein and Morgan both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Lichtenstein was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18.

          The IRS-CI Washington D.C. Cyber Crimes Unit; FBI Chicago Field Office; FBI Virtual Assets Unit; and HSI New York Field Office are investigating the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Ansbach Police Department in Germany.

          The matter is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Jessica Peck and C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman, Paralegal Specialists Angela De Falco and Brian Rickers, and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, all for the District of Columbia, provided valuable assistance. CCIPS Trial Attorney Christen Gallagher, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Brooks for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Southern District of New York, and the HSI Philadelphia Field Office also provided significant assistance.

           Consistent with standard practice in criminal forfeiture cases, there will be a formal process pursuant to Rule 32.2 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure for third-party claimants to submit claims for any seized and forfeited property. Additional information is available on the Justice Department’s website for large cases at www.justice.gov/usao-dc/2016-bitfinex-hack.

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WASHINGTON – Kenneth Phillips, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to a total of 120 months in prison for a carjacking and subsequent burglary that took place in Northeast Washington in November of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Phillips was found guilty by a jury of carjacking, robbery, assault, burglary, first degree theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and driving without a permit on July 26, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, on November 12, 2024, the Honorable Robert A. Salerno sentenced Phillips to three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on November 15, 2021, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Phillips was in the 2000 block of Fourth Street NE when he approached the victim from behind, striking him in the back of the head and taking his car and house keys.  Phillips crossed the street with the victim’s keys before returning to the victim, striking the victim in the face and fish-hooking him in the mouth. Phillips then fled the area in the victim’s Toyota Sienna van.

            On November 16, 2021, at approximately 4:00 a.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department located the defendant in the 700 block of K Street NE. Phillips was sitting in the driver’s seat of the victim’s Toyota van wearing a jacket that belonged to one of the victim’s family members. Police also recovered a key fob and a college graduation ring from the defendant’s pockets. The key fob belonged to the victim of the carjacking and the college graduation ring was later determined to have been stolen from the victim’s house. In the trunk of the victim’s Toyota van, police recovered a television in an unopened box that had been taken from the victim’s home.

            At 7:00 a.m., on November 16, 2021, the victim’s family reported to police that their home had been burglarized. Specifically, the front and rear doors had been left open and unlocked, interior lights and doors were on, and bedrooms had been ransacked. Several of the belongings reported missing by the victim’s family were found by police on Phillips’s person and in the car he was driving at the time of his arrest.

            Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department recovered surveillance video from the area around the carjacking that captured the suspect before and during the carjacking.  At the time of Phillips’s arrest, he was wearing clothing that matched that worn by the carjacking suspect in the surveillance video.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin DeRiso, who investigated the case; Paralegal Specialists Antoinette Sakamsa and Crystal Waddy; Supervisory Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Service Coordinators Guisela Castillo and Basizette Stribling; Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling; and IT Specialist Sigourney Jackson. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Sara Matar, who prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON—Tremayne Matthews, 38, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of a concealing material facts from the federal government. The charge stemmed from a years-long scheme in which Matthews submitted hundreds of falsified resumes to obtain federal employment and then dozens of forged affidavits in connection with an administrative hearing after he had been terminated.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthews Graves; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes; U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (DOC-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Duane Townsend; and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Special Agent Andrew McKay.

            U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 29, 2025.

            According to the plea paperwork, beginning in November 2018 and continuing through November 2022, Matthews submitted more than 200 applications for employment with multiple federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In connection with these applications, Matthews made multiple misrepresentations. In addition to submitting falsified resumes that contained information he had copied and pasted from a resume belonging to a former co-worker, Matthews also concealed the fact that he had resigned from employment in lieu of being terminated. On the basis of these misrepresentations, Matthews was hired by the federal government into positions that earned an annual salary of more than $100,000.

            As part of his guilty plea, Matthews also admitted to submitting fabricated affidavits to the federal government. In 2020, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) investigated Matthews’ employment history. Rather than admit his wrongdoing, the Matthews submitted a rebuttal package to OPM that contained at least four signed and notarized affidavits from former associates, as well as email exchanges, vouching for the information contained in his resume. In reality, Matthews had fabricated the affidavits and emails entirely. The individuals listed in the affidavits had not signed the documents, nor had the documents actually been notarized. Matthews also created a fake email address that he used to perpetrate the fraud. 

            This case was investigated by the HHS-OIG, DOC-OIG, and TIGTA. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher R. Howland of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Paul Alejandro Felix, 25, of Glendale, California, was sentenced yesterday to 164 months in prison for participating in a wide-spread narcotics trafficking conspiracy that distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills purchased in Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia. Felix was one of approximately 24 co-defendants arrested and charged over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the DEA Washington Division, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Felix pleaded guilty on July 1, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the 164-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Felix to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, Felix served as an upstream Los Angeles-based supplier of fentanyl-laced pills to other Los Angeles-based fentanyl traffickers, including a bulk supplier of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills to D.C.-based fentanyl traffickers. Felix sold pills by the thousands, often at prices below a dollar per pill. Communications evidence, as well as physical seizures, indicate that Felix participated in the transfer of tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills to downstream traffickers.

            On November 16, 2023, law enforcement arrested Felix at his residence in Glendale, California. During a search of the home, officers recovered a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a magazine containing seven rounds of ammunition, as well as dozens of rounds of ammunition of various calibers and firearm magazines in various calibers. Felix admitted that he possessed the weapon and stated that he kept the firearm for protection. During the investigation, law enforcement obtained numerous photos of firearms, as well as bulk cash, from Felix’s Instagram account.

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       The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the USPIS Washington Division in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with additional support from the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland.

           The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris McCranie, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section.

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