District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Santiago Rodriguez Campos, 34, a Mexican national who lived in Alexandria, Va., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison with three years supervised release and must register as a lifetime sex offender for sexually abusing four women, including two in 2016 and two in 2018, in NW, Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Rodriguez Campos pled guilty in November 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of fourth-degree sexual abuse and two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse. He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. As part of his sentence, Rodriguez Campos will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender. Additionally, he will be subject to deportation proceedings following his prison term.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the first offense, on Sept. 5, 2016, at about 10:30 p.m., the victim was walking on N Street NW to the 1200 block of Potomac Street NW when she first observed a man, later identified through forensic evidence as Rodriguez Campos. She reported that he was dressed in dark-colored clothing with a hood covering his head and face. The victim initially thought that she was about to be robbed. She began to walk up the steps to her door when Rodriguez Campos approached her from behind. He then reached between the back of her legs and ran his hand between her inner thighs, through her buttocks over her outer garment. The blue-jean pants that the victim was wearing were subsequently tested for DNA. Later DNA testing established that the perpetrator was Rodriguez Campos.

            In the second offense, on Oct. 26, 2016 at approximately 8:15 p.m., the victim was walking to her car, which was parked in the 1600 block of 33rd Street NW. While she was walking, she observed a man, later identified through forensic evidence as Rodriguez Campos, wearing a grey hoodie covering his face. As he walked towards her, the victim stayed by a tree box and let Rodriguez Campos walk past. As soon as he walked past her, she turned her back and he reached under her dress from behind, between her legs, and grabbed her vagina. The victim immediately screamed at the defendant and began yelling for help. She stated she was either pushed or fell to the ground and while doing so, struck Rodriguez Campos with her elbow. He then ran away. The victim later observed what appeared to be lubricant left between her legs by the defendant. This substance was swabbed and recovered as evidence. DNA analysis was done on this evidence sample. Later DNA testing established that the perpetrator was Rodriguez Campos.

            In the third offense, on May 31, 2018, the victim was walking home at approximately 10:10 p.m. when a man, later identified through forensic evidence as Rodriguez Campos, grabbed her neck, put his hand under her skirt, and touched her buttocks, vagina, and thighs. Rodriguez Campos also placed an unknown liquid on her legs. He then fled through the courtyard of a church she was standing in front of, located in the 2400 block of K Street NW. The victim turned over her underwear and skirt to law enforcement as evidence and it was tested for DNA. Later DNA testing established that the perpetrator was Rodriguez Campos.

            In the fourth offense, on June 3, 2018, the victim was walking west in the 1500 block of P Street NW, when she was approached from behind by a man, later identified through forensic evidence as Rodriguez Campos. He reached under her dress and grabbed her left buttock, then reached in between her legs and touched her vagina. The victim felt a sticky substance transfer from Rodriguez Campos’s hand to an area under her dress. The victim’s underwear, dress, and swabs of her inner thighs were submitted for DNA analysis. Later DNA testing established that the perpetrator was Rodriguez Campos.

            The defendant was apprehended on Aug. 9, 2018 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Lezlie Richardson and Tracey Hawkins and Paralegal Specialists T.J. McPhail and D’Yvonne Key.

            Finally, she expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen and Ryan Creighton, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Michael Wells, 48, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty yesterday to a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on March 23, 2018, in the 600 block of Raleigh Place, Southeast, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Wells pled 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 and one count of possession of phencyclidine (PCP). He will be sentenced on September 11, 2019, by the Honorable Richard J. Leon. Wells faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years of incarceration.

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 23, 2018, at approximately 5:00 p.m., MPD was conducting drug enforcement operations in the 600 block of Raleigh Place, Southeast. Officers observed Wells purchase PCP from another individual. Wells, along with others, were stopped by police. In Wells’ left jacket pocket, law enforcement recovered a wet PCP cigarette, and inside of his backpack, they located a RG14 six-cylinder loaded revolver as well as 23 .22 caliber bullets.

            Wells has previously been convicted of a number of felonies, including the same charge—Unlawful Possession of a Firearm—out of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2000. Wells has also been convicted previously of several narcotics trafficking offenses out of D.C. Superior Court.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham, commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen.

WASHINGTON – Four individuals were arrested yesterday on federal indictments alleging that they participated in corruption and fraud schemes centered at the District of Columbia’s Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR). 

            Last week, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a sealed indictment alleging that Vincent Slater, 41, of Temple Hills, MD, the former supervisor of OTR’s Compliance Administration Adjustment Unit; Anthony Merritt, 44, of Washington, D.C., a former employee of the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA); and Andre de Moya, 46, of Brookeville, MD, a District business owner, conspired to fraudulently reduce the tax liabilities of de Moya’s businesses by paying bribes to Slater. The indictment also alleges that two other District business owners, Chao Charles Zhou, 46, and Arman Amirshahi, 48, both of Maryland, participated in the conspiracy. 

            According to the indictment, Slater brokered bribery agreements with de Moya, Zhou, and Amirshahi through Merritt, whom Slater relied upon to communicate with the business owners and to collect bribe payments. The indictment alleges that Slater used his position at OTR to fraudulently eliminate tax liabilities of businesses owned by de Moya, Zhou, and Amirshahi.  According to the indictment, Slater caused fraudulent tax adjustments to be entered into the computer database used by OTR to manage taxpayer accounts.  These adjustments resulted in the granting of waivers and abatements for which the businesses were ineligible under OTR policies and procedures, as well as the creation of false tax credits that the indictment alleges Slater to have caused to be applied against the businesses’ current liabilities.  The indictment further alleges that Slater settled the tax liabilities of at least one business by creating a fraudulent Offer in Compromise agreement, in which he falsely identified himself as a supervisor in the Collection Division, because he was not authorized to issue such an agreement in his role in the Adjustment Unit.  Finally, the indictment alleges that Slater used his official position and knowledge of District tax laws to take measures to help co-conspirators unlawfully evade taxes without consequence. 

            In a separate indictment, also returned under seal by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia last week, Bobby Tucker, 63, of Suffolk, Virginia, is alleged to have paid bribes to an OTR official in order to reduce the tax liabilities of a business he consulted and to take other actions to benefit Tucker’s business interests as opportunities arose.  The indictment alleges that Tucker agreed to pay an OTR official, who was working as a confidential source, to obtain referrals of city taxpayers with outstanding tax liabilities.  According to the indictment, Tucker would then attempt to broker a bribery agreement whereby he would be paid by a business owner to facilitate a bribe to the OTR official to fraudulently reduce or eliminate tax liabilities. 

            Slater, Merritt, and de Moya were arrested Wednesday in the Metropolitan Area and presented to U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  All three defendants were released on personal recognizance.  They are each charged with one count of Conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; Slater and de Moya are each charged with one count of Bribery, and Merritt is charged with two counts of Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201; and all three defendants are charged with six counts of Money, Property, and Honest Services Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 1346. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, who scheduled an initial status conference for De Moya, Merritt, and Slater on May 29, 2019.

            Tucker was arrested on Wednesday in Suffolk, VA, and presented to U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division.  He was released on personal recognizance.  Tucker is charged with one count of Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201.  Tucker’s case is assigned to Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The next court date is May 31.

            The charges in an indictment are merely allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  The statutory maximum penalty for Conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, is five years; for Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201, the statutory maximum penalty is 15 years; and for Money, Property, and Honest Services Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 1346, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years. 

            These cases are being investigated by the FBI's Washinigton Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Miller, Molly Gaston, and Peter Lallas of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section are prosecuting the cases.

WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington will host two Senior Awareness Events featuring fitness workshops, exercise classes and public safety seminars on May 23, 2019, and May 28, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.to recognize Older Americans Month.

            These events will highlight the importance of exercise and lifestyle changes and encourage seniors to be active. Valuable information on fitness, drug prevention, financial fraud, and healthy eating will be provided. Seniors will also have the opportunity to participate in several fitness workshops led by YMCA Fit & Well instructors and safety seminars hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            The Administration for Community Living (ACL) was created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2012 around the fundamental principle that older adults and people of all ages with disabilities should be able to live where they choose, with the people they choose, and with the ability to participate fully in their communities. ACL brings together the efforts and achievements of the Administration on Aging (AoA), the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD), and the HHS Office on Disability to serve as the Federal agency responsible for increasing access to community supports, while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities across the lifespan.

            ACL leads our nation’s observance of Older Americans Month every May. This year’s theme, Connect, Create, Contribute, encourages older adults and their communities to connect with friends, family, and services that support participation; create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health, and personal enrichment; and contribute time, talent, and life experience to benefit others. “May is a time for us to celebrate the wonderful contributions given by so many older Washingtonians,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We recognize that older adults play a key role in the vitality of our neighborhoods, networks, and lives and we hope that these types of events encourage them to take advantage of resources and social programs available throughout their communities.”

            The May 23, 2019, event will be at the Hattie Holmes Wellness Center located at 324 Kennedy Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20011. The event on May 28, 2019, will be at the Barry Farms Recreation Center located at 1230 Sumner Road, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20020. There will be a continental breakfast, guest speakers, and giveaways. Both events are free and open to all seniors.

            These events are part of the Office’s wider efforts to combat crimes against seniors. In 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia launched an Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative to expand its response to criminal and civil violations targeting older adults. The initiative has enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to further develop and coordinate its prosecution of these cases and enhance its overall support of older victims. The team consists of experienced prosecutors and victim advocates from across the Office, to include the Superior Court, Criminal, and Civil Divisions as well as the Victim Witness Assistance Unit.

WASHINGTON – Steven Wilson, 62, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a January 5, 2017, armed home invasion at 78 Webster Street NE, Washington, D.C. This sentence followed a jury trial in September of 2018, where Wilson was convicted of several violent crimes, including First Degree Burglary, Kidnapping, Unlawful Entry, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Felony Threats, and Conspiracy to Commit Burglary.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Two additional defendants were previously convicted of crimes related to this home invasion. In December of 2017, a jury convicted Zakiya Ahmed, also known as Lori Fitzgerald, of similar crimes, including Kidnapping While Armed and Obstruction of Justice. The Honorable Judge Danya Dayson sentenced Ahmed to nine years in prison on May 11, 2018. In February of 2018, India Frazier, another co-conspirator, pled guilty to Robbery and First Degree Burglary, and was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Jose Lopez to seven years in prison pursuant to a plea agreement.

            As established at trial, on January 4, 2017, officers with MPD conducted a search warrant on the residence of the victim. The search warrant was based on information provided to police by the victim, who indicated that several persons, including co-defendant Ahmed, were trafficking narcotics out of his residence. The victim explained to police that he wanted Ahmed and her cohorts to leave, but due to the ongoing drug trade and the victim’s addiction, he was unable to get them to leave and turned to police to help him recover his residence.

            Police executed the warrant around 7:00 p.m., arresting several people for narcotics and forced Ahmed out of the apartment. Ahmed was told to leave the victim alone and not to return. Throughout the night of January 4, 2017, into the morning of January 5, 2017, Ahmed continued to text the victim from afar. Specifically, Ahmed demanded her property and became increasingly frustrated by the victim’s unwillingness to comply with her demands. Ahmed repeatedly threatened the victim via text message. Ahmed tried to come up with a plan to get back into the victim’s apartment, finally bringing Wilson and Frazier into the fold. Ahmed contacted Wilson and asked Wilson to bring his “friend,” a comment interpreted to mean a weapon or firearm.

            Around 4:30 a.m., the victim heard knocking on the door to his residence. The victim opened the door, only to be knocked back by an incoming Frazier and Wilson. Wilson forced the victim onto the floor, pistol-whipped him, kicked him, called him several inappropriate names, and threatened his life. During the course of the burglary—as Frazier and another conspirator took Ahmed’s property and more out of the residence—Wilson covered the victim’s face with a sheet or a piece of clothing, making the victim think he might die. Shortly after Wilson, Frazier, and another conspirator broke into the apartment, Ahmed walked in. Ahmed taunted the victim, calling him a snitch. After stealing from the victim, the group quickly left.

            In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department who were involved in the case. U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham expressed special acknowledgement for Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Gregory Rosen and Nicole McClain, who investigated and prosecuted the case and Assistant United States Attorney Eric Hansford, who assisted on appellate issues. They also acknowledged the efforts of Paralegal Specialist Donville Drummond and the entire Victim Witness Program, with specific appreciation of Witness Program Specialist Lesley Slade.

                    WASHINGTON –Four individuals who were arrested and removed from the Embassy of Venezuela yesterday each made their initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today on federal charges stemming from trespassing and interfering with the U.S. Department of State’s protective functions, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

                    An arrest warrant was issued on May 15, 2019, for Kevin Bruce Zeese, 64, Margaret Ann Flowers, 57, Adrienne Pine, 49, and David Vernon Paul, 70, who were located in the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Washington, D.C. The individuals were arrested on a criminal complaint charging them with a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 118, Interference with Protective Functions of the Department of State, for knowingly and willingly obstructing, resisting, or interfering with a Federal law enforcement agent engaged, within the United States, in the performance of the protective functions of the State Department Basic Authorities Act.

According to the complaint:

• On January 23, 2019, President Donald J. Trump officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, as the Interim President of Venezuela.
• On January 23, 2019, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo released an official press statement recognizing Juan Guaidó as the new interim President of Venezuela. The notification stated that Mr. Vecchio has authority to take actions on behalf of Venezuela.
• On January 24, 2019, interim President Juan Guaidó notified the United States Government that Mr. Carlos Alfredo Vecchio was accredited as Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Venezuela in the United States.
• The United States accepted interim President Juan Guaidó’s notification of accreditation of Mr. Carlos Alfredo Vecchio as the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Government of Venezuela to the United States on January 25, 2019.
• On January 29, 2019, interim President Juan Guaidó sent a letter to President Trump appointing Mr. Carlos Alfredo Vecchio as Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States of America. 

                    Members of a group called Code Pink, individuals calling themselves the Embassy Protection Collective, and members of a group called the Popular Resistance began occupying the Venezuelan Embassy and the Permanent Mission of Venezuela to the Organization of American States on April 10, 2019.

                    On April 26, 2019, Venezuelan Ambassador Carlos Vecchio sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. Department of State, requesting the support of the Government of the United States for the Venezuelan Embassy’s efforts to take occupancy of the premises of the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C. In the diplomatic note, Ambassador Vecchio requested the assistance of U.S. law enforcement officials in the removal of any person on the premises of the Venezuelan Embassy who is not authorized by the Venezuelan government to be present. 

                    On May 13, 2019, the Diplomatic Security Service read a trespass notice via loudspeaker and posted trespassing notices at the Embassy of Venezuela in Washington, D.C. After the reading, the four defendants remained in the Embassy and refused to vacate the premises. The defendants’ refusals to leave the Embassy interfered with the Department of State’s protective function of maintaining the security of Venezuelan Embassy and the Permanent Mission of Venezuela to the Organization of American States.

                    At today’s hearing before Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey, the defendants were released on various conditions, and the next court date was set for June 12, 2019.

                    The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The statutory maximum penalty for a charge of Interference with Protective Functions of the Department of State is one year of incarceration. If convicted of any offense, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

                    The investigation into this matter was conducted by the Diplomatic Security Service in cooperation with other law enforcement partners including the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division.

                    The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Rosborough.

WASHINGTON – Darnell Catlett, 46, of Upper Marlboro, pled guilty yesterday to trafficking in crack and powder cocaine as part of a nearly year-long narcotics conspiracy in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Catlett pled guilty before the Honorable Richard J. Leon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base and a detectable amount of cocaine. The charge requires a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years of incarceration and up to life imprisonment. Catlett’s sentencing guidelines range calls for a sentence of 168 months to 210 months of incarceration. Judge Leon scheduled Catlett’s sentencing for August 9, 2019.

            Catlett was arrested on the morning of March 15, 2018 and his residence was searched pursuant to a search warrant. At Catlett’s residence, the FBI recovered a loaded firearm, $70,813 in U.S. currency, a black and white money counter, and multiple plastic bags with drug residue. Inside his BMW parked in the garage, Catlett had 234 grams of packaged crack stored in the vehicle. As part of his plea agreement, Catlett accepted responsibility for a firearm possessed in his Maryland residence at the time of his arrest and that he was a leader of the conspiracy.

            Five others have pled guilty to charges in the case. They include Everette Reel, 46, of Upper Marlboro, MD; Jamal Curtis, 41, of Washington, D.C., Derek Holmes, 54, of Washington, D.C., Russell Harrison, 40, of Temple Hills, MD., and Brian Jenkins, 44, of Brentwood, MD. Reel, Curtis, and Holmes are now serving sentences. Coconspirators Russell Harrison and Brian Jenkins still face sentencing. Harrison faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of incarceration and up to life imprisonment for his possession of multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking as part of the conspiracy. Jenkins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of incarceration and up to forty years imprisonment for his distribution of cocaine and crack as part of the conspiracy.

            This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, commended the work of those who investigated the case. They cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle and Teesha Tobias, Legal Assistant Emma Atlas, and Christopher Macchiaroli and Kevin Rosenberg of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who conducted the underlying investigation, indicted the case, and prosecuted the defendants.

WASHINGTON – The Community Prosecution Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will host a Town Hall Panel Discussion, “Clergy Can Combat Childhood Trauma,” at the Hughes Memorial United Methodist Church in Northeast, Washington, D.C. on May 16, 2019, at 6:30 p.m.

            The faith-based community plays an essential role in educating, motivating and mobilizing the community. Over the past year, there has been a sharp increase in homicides throughout the District of Columbia. This town hall discussion seeks to provide faith-based organizations and the community at large with a deeper understanding of the impact of childhood trauma, particularly violent trauma, and provide them with resources and tools to combat childhood trauma through programming, counseling services, and changing the way they interact with traumatized youth and adults. “These discussions help us understand how children and adolescents cope with trauma and the psychological stress associated with extended periods of feeling at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “If we can stop young people’s exposure to violence early, we can stop its impact from spreading through the community.”

            The panel will consist of grassroots practitioners, educators and mental health professionals who have experience addressing or combatting the effects of childhood trauma and/or working with clergy members to address mental health issues in the community.

            Organizers encourage both the faith-based organization, city leaders, and the community as a whole to participate in the discussion. For more information or to RSVP for the program, please contact Monica Veney, 5th District Community Outreach Specialist, Monica.Veney2@usdoj.gov, (202)-698-0145.

Informatica LLC f/k/a Informatica Corporation has agreed to pay $21.57 million to resolve allegations that it caused the government to be overcharged by providing misleading information about its commercial sales practices that was used in General Services Administration (“GSA”) contract negotiations, the Justice Department announced today.  Informatica is a software development company, headquartered in Redwood City, California that sells tools for establishing and maintaining data warehouses.

“Companies that negotiate contracts with the government must make complete and accurate disclosures,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.  “We will continue to hold accountable those who harm taxpayers by withholding critical information from contracting agencies.”

Informatica allegedly knowingly provided false information concerning its commercial discounting practices for its products and services to resellers, who then used that false information in negotiations with GSA for government-wide contracts called “Multiple Award Schedule contracts.”   Under these contracts, GSA uses commercial pricing disclosures to negotiate the maximum prices that a vendor can charge government agencies.  Here, Informatica’s allegedly false disclosures caused GSA to agree to less favorable pricing, and, ultimately, government purchasers to be overcharged.  The settlement also resolves allegations that Informatica caused sales to the United States in violation of the Trade Agreement’s Act, which restricts the country of origin for goods purchased by the government.

“Companies seeking to participate directly or indirectly in government contracts must adhere to applicable rules designed to promote the United States’ objective of prudently expending taxpayer funds by negotiating fair and reasonable pricing for the goods and services it purchases,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu.  “We will pursue recoveries from those that fail to live up to these obligations.” 

“This settlement demonstrates our commitment to ensure taxpayers are not overpaying for the products and services they receive.”  Carol Fortine Ochoa, Inspector General of the U.S. General Services Administration.

The allegations resolved by this settlement arose from a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act.  The act permits private citizens to sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery.  The whistleblower, who is a former employee of Informatica, will receive $4,314,000.

This case was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from GSA’s Office of Inspector General.  The case is captioned United States ex rel. Sullivan v. Informatica Corp., Case No. 15-0716 (D.D.C.). 

The claims resolved by the United States are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. 

WASHINGTON – Ashley Furst, 35, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for her role in an embezzlement scheme in which she stole over $545,000 from a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Furst pled guilty in January 2019, to one count of wire fraud charge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich. In addition to her prison term, Furst must pay restitution in the amount of $244,994.87, as well as a forfeiture money judgement in the same amount. Following her prison term, she will be placed on three years of supervised release, during which she must complete 100 hours of community service.

            Furst was hired in 2011 as the office administrator for the American Horse Council; a Washington, D.C. based non-profit trade association. She was later promoted to the position of Director of Communications. While employed by the non-profit, Furst’s responsibilities included public outreach, membership recruitment, and communications. She also handled duties typically performed by an office administrator, such as maintaining accounting records, reconciling the monthly bank account statements, transferring on-line donations from the PayPal account to their bank account, providing copies of the bank statements to the members of the Board of Directors, and serving as the sole point of contact for the outside auditors.

            Starting in 2012 and continuing through June 2018, Furst stole money from the non-profit in a variety of ways. First, she paid her own personal credit card bills from her employer’s bank account, primarily through on-line debits from the bank account to satisfy her credit card balance, for approximately $415,202.52. Second, she wrote herself unauthorized checks drawn on her employer’s bank account, typically listing on the memo line a bogus reason for the check, for approximately $83,656.40. Third, she repaid her personal loan from her employer’s funds, for approximately $56,411.43. Fourth, although Furst was responsible for transferring donations from her employer’s PayPal account, she misdirected approximately $60,949.49 to her own account or to pay for personal items. Fifth, Furst increased her salary without authorization, by approximately $29,875.03. Through these five methods, Furst embezzled approximately $646,094. However, before the victim discovered the crime, Furst returned $100,500 to her employer, leaving a total embezzlement of $545,594.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Amanda Rohde and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Derryck Decuir, 26, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty yesterday of murder and other charges stemming from the June 2015 slaying of Ballou High School student Malek Mercer, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On May 2, 2019, Decuir was found guilty following a jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of Second Degree Murder while Armed with an enhancement for committing a crime against a minor, and related firearms offenses. Decuir, who will be sentenced by the Honorable Craig Iscoe on July 23, 2019, faces a maximum sentence of sixty years in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 16, 2015, at approximately 12:20 a.m., Decuir and Mr. Mercer, who did not know one another, found themselves at the same bus stop at L’Enfant Square. One of Decuir’s friends teased Decuir for looking at and commenting on Mr. Mercer’s belt, and Mr. Mercer snickered at Decuir. After riding the bus together for about 10 minutes, Decuir followed Mr. Mercer off the bus and, without saying anything, shot him once in the back of the neck. Decuir then fled from the area. MPD officers responding to a 911 call, found Mr. Mercer lying in the grass on the corner of 28th Street and Naylor Road, SE. Mr. Mercer suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and was bleeding profusely. He was transported to Washington Hospital Center, where he died on June 19, 2015.  Decuir was arrested pursuant to a warrant on that same day and has been held in custody ever since.

            This was the third trial, following two mistrials after prior juries could not reach a decision on the murder count. At the first trial in 2017, Decuir was convicted of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Obstruction of Justice. The obstruction charge was based on Decuir making phone calls from the jail to ask his friend to relocate the murder weapon out of his backyard so that the police would not find it. Despite those efforts, MPD officers located the murder weapon about a year later, and analysts with the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences linked that weapon to the shooting of Mr. Mercer.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metro Transit Police Department, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the District of Columbia Department of Corrections. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Misler and Nicholas Coleman; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Lesley Slade; Supervisory Security Specialist Laverne Perry; Contract Specialist Sallie Rynas; Administrative Services Specialist Karen Lee-Putt; Supervisory Paralegal Sharon Newman; Paralegals Kelly Blakeney and Debra Joyner; Criminal Investigators Durrand Odom and Melissa Matthews; Victim Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling; and Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler and Anwar Graves, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Arnold Boon, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today by Judge Paul L. Friedman, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to over seven years in prison and three years of supervised release resulting from his guilty plea to federal charges stemming from a robbery in which he and at least two others drove a stolen pick-up truck through the front of a Northwest Washington convenience store and hauled off an ATM machine containing at least $130,000.  As part of the sentence, Boon was also ordered to pay over $150,000.00 in restitution to the owner of the money stolen and the owner of the building where the store is located.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On April 22, 2019, Boon pled guilty before Judge Friedman to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of interference with interstate commerce by robbery. 

            According to the government’s evidence, on January 19, 2018, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a stolen Ford pickup truck smashed through the front of a 7-Eleven convenience store in the 200 block of Cedar Street NW. The truck was being driven by an unidentified male wearing dark clothing and a mask. Surveillance video captured two other masked men, one later identified as Boon through DNA evidence, entering the convenience store and lifting the store’s ATM machine onto the bed of the truck. While Boon and the other suspects attempted to lift the ATM machine, video from the store captured a gold watch worn by Boon fall to the ground.  

            A store clerk and at least one customer were inside the store at the time of the robbery. After struggling for several minutes to lift the ATM onto the truck, the men successfully loaded it onto the truck’s bed and Boon climbed onto the bed of the truck while the other two suspects entered the cab of the vehicle and fled the area.  Boon and the other suspects fled with more than $130,000 in cash that was inside the ATM.  

            The stolen vehicle was found idling a short distance from the location of the 7-Eleven with no occupants or the ATM machine. The next morning, the stolen ATM machine was recovered by police in a wooded area in Washington, D.C., with all the currency removed.  

            Police also recovered the gold watch at the crime scene, and DNA obtained from the watch eventually was matched to Boon. At the time of his arrest on March 17, 2018, Boon was in possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol, which was recovered from the dresser drawer in his bedroom. Boon has been in custody since his arrest. At the time of the crime, he was barred from possessing a gun because of prior convictions on assault and other charges. 

            This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office's Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force which is composed of FBI Agents and task force officers from MPD and the United States Capital Police. The task force works cooperatively and in partnership with the Capital Region law enforcement community in investigating violent crimes and criminal threats within the region. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge DeSarno, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the FBI agents and MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven B. Wasserman and Ethan Carroll, and Paralegal Specialist Rommel Pachoca.

 

19-071

A former attorney who perpetrated a multimillion-dollar investment fraud scheme, was convicted today by a jury in the District of Columbia, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia.

Brynee Baylor was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, one count of securities fraud, and five counts of first-degree fraud under District of Columbia law.

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Baylor, a former partner in the D.C. law firm of Baylor & Jackson PLLC, conspired with a Pennsylvania man and his company, known as the Milan Group, to recruit investors to a purported trading program. Investors were promised extremely large profits in a short time with little or no risk. 

The evidence presented at trial showed that in 2010 and 2011, Baylor caused more than $2 million of investor funds to pass through the Baylor & Jackson lawyer trust account. More than half of the investor funds were used for the benefit of Baylor, the Pennsylvania man, the Milan Group, and Baylor & Jackson. Baylor falsely assured investors that the purported trading program was legitimate and had little if any risk. Baylor also falsely told investors that she had personally observed investors successfully complete transactions with the Milan Group. In reality, the Milan Group did not complete any such transactions and did not return any of the investors’ money.

In 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Baylor and others for fraud in connection with the purported trading program. 

Sentencing is not yet scheduled. Baylor faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, 20 years in prison for the securities fraud count, and 10 years in prison for each of the first-degree fraud counts. Baylor will also face a term of supervised release and monetary penalties.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Liu thanked the SEC for its invaluable assistance and commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Jeffrey McLellan and Eric Powers of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

WASHINGTON – Paul Bernard Jones, 59, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 70 months’ imprisonment on a federal bank robbery charge for a hold-up last summer in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Jones pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on January 28, 2019. The plea, which the Court approved, called for an agreed-upon prison sentence of 70 to 87 months, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The Honorable Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Jones to 70 months’ incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release. As part of Jones’s sentence, he was ordered to forfeit $1,433 of U.S. Currency found on his person after the bank robbery, and pay back the bank $17 in restitution. Finally, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Jones to undergo anger management treatment, substance abuse treatment, and a variety of other conditions upon his release.

            According to plea documents, on June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:10 a.m., Jones entered a TD Bank branch in the 1700 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. He walked up to a teller, took a wadded-up piece of paper, and tossed it at her. He then stated “give me everything, give me hundreds, fifties, and twenties only and don’t push anything. I have something on me.” The wadded-up piece of paper also demanded money and contained a threat. The teller provided Jones with $1,450 in cash and he fled the bank.

            Within minutes, the Metropolitan Police Department and FBI responded to the bank. An MPD officer observed Jones at the intersection of 14th and R Streets NW, a few blocks from the bank. He tried to run, but was immediately apprehended. Law enforcement located $1,433 in cash in a search of the defendant. Jones has been in custody since his arrest.

            The prosecution grew out of the efforts of the FBI Bank Robbery Task Force.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Catherine O’Neal and Legal Assistant Emma Atlas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Gene James, 29, of Calvert County, MD, has been sentenced to over seventeen years in jail stemming from his involvement in a shooting and armed carjacking of an Uber driver that occurred on November 19, 2016, in Southeast, Washington, DC, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

           Following a trial in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, on February 13, 2019, a jury returned a verdict of guilty on ten counts including Armed Carjacking and weapons-related offenses. On April 26, 2019, the Honorable Michael O’Keefe sentenced the defendant to 206 months’ incarceration, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.

           The government’s evidence established that on November 19, 2016, the victim, who was employed as an Uber driver, was standing beside his running vehicle at the corner of 16th and W Streets SE. James and his two co-defendants, Jameik Bassil and Travonn Davis, drove up to the intersection and James jumped out with an assault rifle and a drum magazine, threatening the victim. As the victim and James struggled over the gun, it went off multiple times, striking the victim in the leg. The two co-defendants ran over to help James and then all three fled the scene with the defendant driving the victim’s car. MPD officers located the victim’s car several blocks away and stopped James a block from the car. James’s fingerprint was found in the victim’s car, and the drum magazine was recovered near his location.

           MPD officers arrested James that night and he has been in custody ever since. Co-defendants Bassil and Davis were arrested after further investigation, including an analysis of GPS tracking data. They both pled guilty to Armed Robbery and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and were sentenced in 2017 to 76 months and 96 months’ incarceration respectively.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the MPD officers who immediately responded to the scene and followed a trail of evidence that led to the defendant’s arrest on the same night of the offense. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Korba, Brittany Keil, and Julia Cosans, with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff, as well as paralegals Antoinette Sakamsa and Daphne Theresa Nelson who helped prepare the case for trial.

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WASHINGTON – Mariia Butina, a Russian national, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government.

            The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Butina, 30, a Russian citizen who had been residing in Washington D.C., pled guilty on Dec. 13, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  She was sentenced by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.  Following her incarceration, she is to be deported to Russia.

            According to the government’s evidence, from approximately 2015 to 2017, Butina acted as an agent of a Russian government official.  Under his direction, she provided key information about Americans who were in a position to influence United States politics and took steps to establish an unofficial line of communication between Russia and these Americans.  As described in the plea documents, Butina sought to do so for the benefit of the Russian Federation. She took these actions without providing the required notifications to the Attorney General that she was in fact acting as an agent of the Russian Federation.

            Butina was arrested on July 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C., and has been in custody ever since.  Butina will get credit for the time she already has served.  The court also granted a government motion that led to a reduced sentence in the case.

            The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik M. Kenerson, Thomas N. Saunders, and Jolie Zimmerman of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney William A. Mackie of the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mariia Butina, a Russian national, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Butina, 30, a Russian citizen who had been residing in Washington D.C., pled guilty on Dec. 13, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  She was sentenced by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.  Following her incarceration, she is to be deported to Russia.

According to the government’s evidence, from approximately 2015 to 2017, Butina acted as an agent of a Russian government official.  Under his direction, she provided key information about Americans who were in a position to influence United States politics and took steps to establish an unofficial line of communication between Russia and these Americans.  As described in the plea documents, Butina sought to do so for the benefit of the Russian Federation. She took these actions without providing the required notifications to the Attorney General that she was in fact acting as an agent of the Russian Federation.

Butina was arrested on July 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C., and has been in custody ever since.  Butina will get credit for the time she already has served.  The court also granted a government motion that led to a reduced sentence in the case.

The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik M. Kenerson, Thomas N. Saunders, and Jolie Zimmerman of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney William A. Mackie of the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON – Isaiah Green, 28, of Washington D.C., has been sentenced to a 50-month prison term for his role in a gun trafficking scheme in the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Green pled guilty in November 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of interstate travel in connection with engaging in the business of illegally dealing in firearms. He was sentenced on April 24, 2019, by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            The guilty plea followed an investigation by ATF, MPD, and the Virginia State Police into Green’s role in the purchase of significant quantities of firearms during the summer of 2018. Green and another individual were arrested on July 27, 2018, in the District of Columbia after allegedly purchasing four firearms at the Dulles Gun Show in Chantilly, Virginia. An additional five firearms, all with obliterated serial numbers, were recovered by law enforcement from an apartment in the District of Columbia where Green was living at the time.   

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning in or around June 27, 2018, Green and the other individual began accepting orders for firearms purchases from people residing within the District of Columbia. To fulfill the orders, the two traveled to various gun stores and pawn shops throughout Virginia. The other individual would fill out ATF forms and falsely assert that she was the intended owner of the firearm. Green could not purchase the firearms himself because he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms due to a prior domestic violence conviction.    

            After purchasing the firearms, the two traveled back to an apartment in Southeast Washington, where Green used a sanding tool to remove the serial numbers from the firearms so that the firearms could not be traced back to them after they were sold. The two would then illegally sell the firearms for a profit within the District of Columbia.

            As part of the plea agreement, Green admitted that he and his co-defendant purchased 31 firearms for illegal resale in a one-month time period in 2018.  

            In a related development, a third person pled guilty on April 24, 2019, for purchasing firearms from Green and his co-defendant. Juan Jones, 41, of District Heights, Md., pled guilty to conspiring to violate federal laws connected to his involvement in requesting straw purchased firearms with obliterated serial numbers. Jones is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction for a gun crime and he is currently on parole for this offense.  Jones is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Mehta on July 24, 2019. His plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of three years in prison.

            This case is being investigated by the ATF and MPD with the assistance of the Virginia State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin L. Rosenberg of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Candace Marie Claiborne, a former employee of the U.S. Department of State, pleaded guilty today to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, by lying to law enforcement and background investigators, and hiding her extensive contacts with, and gifts from, agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), in exchange for providing them with internal documents from the U.S. State Department. 

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Deputy Assistant Secretary Ricardo Colón, Domestic Operations, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.

The plea took place before the Honorable Randolph D. Moss of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

“Candace Marie Claiborne traded her integrity and non-public information of the United States government in exchange for cash and other gifts from foreign agents she knew worked for the Chinese intelligence service,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “She withheld information and lied repeatedly about these contacts.  Violations of the public’s trust are an affront to our citizens and to all those who honor their oaths.  With this guilty plea we are one step closer to imposing justice for these dishonorable criminal acts.” 

“Candace Claiborne broke the public trust when she accepted gifts and money from foreign officials, and then lied about it to State Department background investigators,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “The United States will continue to seek to hold accountable those who abuse their positions of trust.” 

“Candace Claiborne was entrusted with Top Secret information when she purposefully misled federal investigators about her repeated interactions with foreign contacts which violated her oath of office as a State Department employee,” said Assistant Director McNamara.  “The FBI will continue to investigate individuals who fail to report foreign contacts, which is a key indicator of potential insider threats posed by those in positions of public trust.”

“Our close working relationship with the FBI and the Department of Justice resulted in the conviction of Candace Claiborne who violated the public trust and damaged our national security,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Colón.  “Diplomatic Security will continue working with our law enforcement partners to vigorously defend the interests and security of the United States of America.”

According to the plea documents, Claiborne, 63, began working as an Office Management Specialist for the Department of State in 1999.  She served overseas at a number of posts, including embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Iraq, Khartoum, Sudan, and Beijing and Shanghai, China.  As a condition of her employment, Claiborne maintained a TOP SECRET security clearance.  Claiborne also was required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency as well as any gifts she received from foreign sources over a certain amount.

Despite such a requirement, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two agents of the People’s Republic of China Intelligence Service, even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years.  The gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, Chinese New Year’s gifts, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, a monthly stipend and numerous cash payments.  Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, while others were provided to a close family member of Claiborne’s.

In exchange for these gifts and benefits, as stated in the plea documents, Claiborne provided copies of internal documents from the State Department on topics ranging from U.S. economic strategies to visits by dignitaries between the two countries. 

Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents.  That same agent at one point tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.

Claiborne, who confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the plea documents state.  After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents.  She was arrested on March 28, 2017, following a law enforcement investigation.

Judge Moss scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2019.  Claiborne, of Washington, D.C., was ordered detained pending sentencing, but will self-surrender for said detention on June 5, 2019.  The statutory maximum penalty for a person convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States is five years in prison.  The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court after considering the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office is leading the investigation into this matter.  The case was prosecuted by Thomas A. Gillice and investigated by John L. Hill, both Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Deputy Chief Julie A. Edelstein and Trial Attorney Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

WASHINGTON – Candace Marie Claiborne, a former employee of the U.S. Department of State, pleaded guilty today to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, by lying to law enforcement and background investigators, and hiding her extensive contacts with, and gifts from, agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), in exchange for providing them with internal documents from the U.S. State Department. 

            The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Deputy Assistant Secretary Ricardo Colón, Domestic Operations, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.

            The plea took place before the Honorable Randolph D. Moss of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

            “Candace Marie Claiborne traded her integrity and non-public information of the United States government in exchange for cash and other gifts from foreign agents she knew worked for the Chinese intelligence service,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “She withheld information and lied repeatedly about these contacts.  Violations of the public’s trust are an affront to our citizens and to all those who honor their oaths.  With this guilty plea we are one step closer to imposing justice for these dishonorable criminal acts.” 

            “Candace Claiborne broke the public trust when she accepted gifts and money from foreign officials, and then lied about it to State Department background investigators,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “The United States will continue to seek to hold accountable those who abuse their positions of trust.” 

            “Candace Claiborne was entrusted with Top Secret information when she purposefully misled federal investigators about her repeated interactions with foreign contacts which violated her oath of office as a State Department employee,” said Assistant Director McNamara.  “The FBI will continue to investigate individuals who fail to report foreign contacts, which is a key indicator of potential insider threats posed by those in positions of public trust.”

            “Our close working relationship with the FBI and the Department of Justice resulted in the conviction of Candace Claiborne who violated the public trust and damaged our national security,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Colón.  “Diplomatic Security will continue working with our law enforcement partners to vigorously defend the interests and security of the United States of America.”

            According to the plea documents, Claiborne, 63, began working as an Office Management Specialist for the Department of State in 1999.  She served overseas at a number of posts, including embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Iraq, Khartoum, Sudan, and Beijing and Shanghai, China.  As a condition of her employment, Claiborne maintained a TOP SECRET security clearance.  Claiborne also was required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency as well as any gifts she received from foreign sources over a certain amount.

            Despite such a requirement, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two agents of the People’s Republic of China Intelligence Service, even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years.  The gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, Chinese New Year’s gifts, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, a monthly stipend and numerous cash payments.  Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, while others were provided to a close family member of Claiborne’s.

            In exchange for these gifts and benefits, as stated in the plea documents, Claiborne provided copies of internal documents from the State Department on topics ranging from U.S. economic strategies to visits by dignitaries between the two countries. 

            Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents.  That same agent at one point tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.

            Claiborne, who confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the plea documents state.  After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents.  She was arrested on March 28, 2017, following a law enforcement investigation.

            Judge Moss scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2019.  Claiborne, of Washington, D.C., was ordered detained pending sentencing, but will self-surrender for said detention on June 5, 2019.  The statutory maximum penalty for a person convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States is five years in prison.  The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court after considering the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The FBI’s Washington Field Office is leading the investigation into this matter.  The case was prosecuted by Thomas A. Gillice and investigated by John L. Hill, both Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Deputy Chief Julie A. Edelstein and Trial Attorney Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

WASHINGTON – Jarvell Kent, 21, and Olona Roba, 20, of Washington, D.C., have been sentenced to 10-year prison terms on federal charges stemming from their involvement in a total of four armed robberies that were committed in three quadrants of the District of Columbia.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Kent and Roba pled guilty in January 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery, for four separate incidents. They were sentenced on April 23, 2019, by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss. Following their prison terms, they will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            The government’s evidence established that Kent and Roba robbed two 7-Eleven convenience stores at gunpoint, while wearing masks.  During both armed robberies, one of the weapons used was a large black sub‑machine gun style firearm with an extended magazine. The first robbery took place on May 5, 2017, at approximately 11:40 p.m., at a store in the 3200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE. The second was on May 11, 2017, at approximately 1 a.m., at a store in the 4400 block of Benning Road NE.

            In addition to the armed robberies that the defendants jointly committed, each defendant admitted involvement in additional armed robberies.  Kent pled guilty to a May 15, 2017, armed robbery of another 7-Eleven located in the 900 block of 17th Street NW, and Roba pled guilty to a March 4, 2017, armed robbery of a carryout driver in the 5800 block of Southern Avenue SE, a crime in which shots were fired at the carryout driver as he fled from the scene.

            Kent and Roba were arrested in May 2017 and have been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the FBI Agents and MPD officers who linked together investigations that spanned three quadrants of the District of Columbia and arrested Kent and Roba.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany Keil, Laura Crane, and William Schurmann, with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff, Paralegal Specialists Rommel Pachoca and Antoinette Sakamsa, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.

letter-statement_final_liu_to_council_re_b23-127_second_look_act_04-23-2019.pdf

WASHINGTON – The owner of a physical security school has been indicted by a federal grand jury for defrauding a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program dedicated to rehabilitating military veterans with service-connecting disabilities and for making false statements to the VA. 

            Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.

            Francis Engles, 63, of Bowie, Maryland, was charged on April 18, 2019, in a 20-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. The indictment was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            The indictment alleges that Engles was the co-owner and operator of Engles Security Training School (Engles Security).  Engles Security was located in Maryland and specialized in security guard and related courses.  In August 2015, Engles Security became an approved vendor of the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) program, which provides disabled U.S. military veterans with education and employment-related services.  Thereafter, Engles submitted documents to the VA representing that he was providing 15 veterans with months-long courses for 40 hours per week and over 600 total hours.  In fact, Engles Security allegedly offered veterans far less than what Engles represented to the VA.  Engles allegedly ended some classes after less than a month, even though he represented to the VA that the veterans’ classes would last for several months.  In some instances, he allegedly offered only a few hours of class per day, while representing that the students would be in school for forty hours per week.  According to the indictment, Engles frequently cancelled classes without notice or makeup classes and instructors showed up late and ended class early.

            To advance and prolong his scheme, Engles allegedly created and sent to the VA “Certificates of Training” stating that veterans had completed courses that they in fact had not completed or, in some instances, had not taken at all.  Similarly, Engles allegedly submitted letters to the VA falsely stating that the veterans had been employed by Engles’ private security business.  Engles also allegedly instructed veterans to sign attendance sheets representing that they had attended class sessions, which they did not in fact attend.

            Engles allegedly charged the VA thousands of dollars more for veterans’ courses than he charged non-veterans who took the same or similar courses.  In total, the VA paid Engles Security over $300,000 for the purported education of 15 veterans. 

            An indictment contains only allegations.  A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.  Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

The owner of a physical security school has been indicted by a federal grand jury for defrauding a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program dedicated to rehabilitating military veterans with service-connecting disabilities and for making false statements to the VA. 

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.

Francis Engles, 63, of Bowie, Maryland, was charged on April 18, 2019, in a 20-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C.  The indictment was unsealed today.

The indictment alleges that Engles was the co-owner and operator of Engles Security Training School (Engles Security).  Engles Security was located in Maryland and specialized in security guard and related courses.  In August 2015, Engles Security became an approved vendor of the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) program, which provides disabled U.S. military veterans with education and employment-related services.  Thereafter, Engles submitted documents to the VA representing that he was providing 15 veterans with months-long courses for 40 hours per week and over 600 total hours.  In fact, Engles Security allegedly offered veterans far less than what Engles represented to the VA.  Engles allegedly ended some classes after less than a month, even though he represented to the VA that the veterans’ classes would last for several months.  In some instances, he allegedly offered only a few hours of class per day, while representing that the students would be in school for 40 hours per week.  According to the indictment, Engles frequently cancelled classes without notice or makeup classes and instructors showed up late and ended class early.

To advance and prolong his scheme, Engles allegedly created and sent to the VA “Certificates of Training” stating that veterans had completed courses that they in fact had not completed or, in some instances, had not taken at all.  Similarly, Engles allegedly submitted letters to the VA falsely stating that the veterans had been employed by Engles’ private security business.  Engles also allegedly instructed veterans to sign attendance sheets representing that they had attended class sessions, which they did not in fact attend.

Engles allegedly charged the VA thousands of dollars more for veterans’ courses than he charged non-veterans who took the same or similar courses.  In total, the VA paid Engles Security over $300,000 for the purported education of 15 veterans. 

An indictment contains only allegations.  A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA OIG are investigating the case.  Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Arnold Boon, 33, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to federal charges stemming from a robbery in which he and at least two others drove a stolen pick-up truck through the front of a Northwest Washington convenience store and hauled off an ATM machine containing at least $130,000.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Boon pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of interference with interstate commerce by robbery.  The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of 92 months in prison, to be followed by up to five years of supervised release. The Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman scheduled sentencing for May 2, 2019. The plea agreement also requires Boon to pay restitution to the owner of the money stolen from the ATM, as well as to the owner of the building where the store is located.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 19, 2018, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a stolen Ford pickup truck smashed through the front of a 7-Eleven convenience store in the 200 block of Cedar Street NW. The truck was being driven by an unidentified male wearing dark clothing and a mask. Surveillance video captured two other masked men, one later identified as Boon through DNA evidence, entering the convenience store and lifting the store’s ATM machine onto the bed of the truck.  While Boon and the other suspects attempted to lift the ATM machine, video from the store captured a gold watch worn by Boon fall to the ground. 

            A store clerk and at least one customer were inside the store at the time of the robbery. After struggling for several minutes to lift the ATM onto the truck, the men successfully loaded it onto the truck’s bed and Boon climbed onto the bed of the truck while the other two suspects entered the cab of the vehicle and fled the area.  Boon and the other suspects fled with more than $130,000 in cash that was inside the ATM. 

            The stolen vehicle was found idling a short distance from the location of the 7-Eleven with no occupants or the ATM machine.  The next morning, the stolen ATM machine was recovered by police in a wooded area in Washington, D.C., with all the currency removed. 

            Police also recovered the gold watch at the crime scene, and DNA obtained from the watch eventually was matched to Boon.  At the time of his arrest on March 17, 2018, Boon was in possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol, which was recovered from the dresser drawer in his bedroom. Boon has been in custody since his arrest. At the time of the crime, he was barred from possessing a gun because of prior convictions on assault and other charges.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the FBI agents and MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven B. Wasserman and Ethan Carroll, and Paralegal Specialist Rommel Pachoca.

WASHINGTON – Matthew Moore, Jr., 34, formerly of District Heights, Md., was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for a shooting that killed two people who were sitting in a car in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)

            Moore pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 24 to 36 years in prison. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea; however, Moore attempted to withdraw his plea several months later. Judge Dayson ultimately denied the defendant’s motion to withdraw and sentenced Moore accordingly. Following his prison term, Moore will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 17, 2017, at about 6:23 a.m., Moore was driving a white Kia Optima and the victims – Ronnell Reaves and Kevin Kennedy – were passengers. Moore pulled into the 600 block of 14th Place NE and parked the vehicle. He and Mr. Reaves then got out of the car and walked into a nearby alleyway. Mr. Kennedy remained in the car. Minutes later, Mr. Reaves returned to the car and got in the driver’s seat. Mr. Reaves was in the driver’s seat, and Mr. Kennedy was in the back seat, when Moore returned to the car.

            At 6:36 a.m., Moore opened the front passenger door, leaned into the car, and pulled out a firearm. He fired two shots at Mr. Reaves in the front seat and two more shots at Mr. Kennedy in the back seat. Mr. Reaves, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. Kennedy was taken to a hospital and later to a long-term care facility, where he died on July 9, 2018. He was 23. An autopsy determined that he died from gunshot wounds to the head and related complications.

            On Jan. 26, 2017, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Moore’s residence in District Heights. As a result of this search, law enforcement recovered a .40-caliber sub-compact, semi-automatic handgun. The gun was loaded with cartridges that were consistent with the four shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting. Moore was arrested on Feb. 6, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney, Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Allessandra Stewart, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Bikila Kejella, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for killing a man in Northwest Washington in 2016, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Kejella pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, just after midnight, early Sept. 12, 2016, a group of men and women were casually socializing and congregated in the parking lot area of the Garfield Terrace housing complex in the 2300 block of 11th Street NW. Kejella approached the group and struck up a conversation.  Shortly thereafter, the victim, 23-year-old lifelong D.C. resident Eric Garrett, approached the parking lot area where his car was parked. 

            Mr. Garrett was scrolling through his cell phone and walked toward the group of people at the front of the parking lot.  Kejella then walked directly toward Mr. Garrett. Kejella extended his arm and aimed his firearm at Mr. Garrett’s head.  According to witnesses, Mr. Garrett put his hands up in the air and yelled, “Wait, no, don’t.”  Kejella fired his firearm striking Mr. Garrett and Kejella fled the scene.  Mr. Garrett went into cardiac arrest and died on Sept. 18, 2016. 

            Kejella was arrested on Nov. 7, 2016, at the Red Rock Job Corps Center in Sweetwater, Pennsylvania.  He was thereafter extradited back to the District of Columbia. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.  They acknowledge the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels; Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Allen and Jennifer Clark, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.

            Finally, they commend the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Christine Macey, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Travon Eliy, also known as Travon Jackson, 41, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of assault with intent to kill a senior citizen in a gun-free zone and other charges stemming from a robbery and shooting that took place behind an elementary school in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            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. The Honorable Milton C. Lee scheduled sentencing for June 14, 2019.

            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 SE.  Once inside, Eliy put a gun to her head and began pulling at her purse. Eliy dragged her out 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 pushing 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 behind Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School.

            The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived within minutes and the defendant was stopped within 10 minutes of the shooting. 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  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; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Paralegal Specialists Kathryn Hoey, Sabrina Turner, Lynda Randolph, and Lashone Samuels; Forensic Operations Program Specialist Elizabeth Marrero; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames, and Finance Specialists Karen Lee-putt, Marquetta Little and Sallie Rynas.

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

 

            WASHINGTON –Brian Jenkins, 44, of Brentwood, Md., pled guilty today to trafficking in crack and powder cocaine as part of a nearly year-long narcotics conspiracy in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Jenkins pled guilty before the Honorable Richard J. Leon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base and a detectable amount of cocaine. The charge requires a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of incarceration and up to 40 years imprisonment. Judge Leon scheduled Jenkins’ sentencing for July 18, 2019.

            As part of his plea agreement, Jenkins accepted responsibility for a firearm possessed in his Maryland residence at the time that he was arrested.

            Jenkins was arrested on the morning of March 15, 2018 and his residence was searched pursuant to a warrant. At Jenkins’ residence, the FBI recovered cocaine, $12,900 in U.S. currency, a loaded handgun with multiple magazines, and a crack cocaine manufacturing kit to include two digital scales, a strainer, baking soda, and a Pyrex dish.

            Four others have pled guilty to charges in the case. They include Everette Reel, 46, of Upper Marlboro, Md; Jamal Curtis, 41, of Washington, D.C., Derek Holmes, 54, of Washington, D.C., and Russell Harrison, 40, of Temple Hills, Md. Reel, Curtis, and Holmes are now serving sentences and Harrison is to be sentenced on May 1, 2019. Harrison faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of incarceration and up to life imprisonment for his possession of multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking as part of the conspiracy.

            The case remains pending against another defendant, Darnell Catlett, 46, of Upper Marlboro, Md.

            This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.

            In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case. They cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle and Teesha Tobias, Legal Assistant Emma Atlas, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and Kevin Rosenberg of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who conducted the underlying investigation, indicted the case, and prosecuted the defendants.

UniCredit Bank AG (UCB AG), a financial institution headquartered in Munich, operating under the name HypoVereinsbank, and part of the UniCredit Group has agreed to enter a guilty plea to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to defraud the United States by processing hundreds of millions of dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of an entity designated as a weapons of mass destruction proliferator and other Iranian entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions.  UniCredit Bank Austria (BA), another financial institution in the UniCredit Group, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, agreed to forfeit $20 million and entered into a non-prosecution agreement to resolve an investigation into its violations of IEEPA.  UniCredit SpA, the parent of both UCB AG and BA, has agreed to ensure that UCB AG and BA’s obligations are fulfilled.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeny of the FBI’s New York Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Kelly Jackson of the IRS-Criminal Investigations (CI) Washington Field Division made the announcement.

According to court documents, over the course of almost 10 years, UCB AG knowingly and willfully moved at least $393 million through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned entities, most of which was for an entity the U.S. Government specifically prohibited from accessing the U.S. financial system.  UCB AG engaged in this criminal conduct through a scheme, formalized in its own bank polices and designed to conceal from U.S. regulators and banks the involvement of sanctioned entities in certain transactions.  UCB AG routed illegal payments through U.S. financial institutions for the benefit of the sanctioned entities in ways that concealed the involvement of the sanctioned entities, including through the use of companies that UCB AG knew would appear unconnected to the sanctioned entity despite being controlled by the sanctioned entity.

“When the United States sanctioned Iranian entities for proliferating weapons of mass destruction, UCB AG went to great lengths to help one such entity – Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines – evade sanctions to gain access to the U.S. financial system,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The integrity of our financial system requires financial institutions to comply with our laws, and UCB AG willfully failed to do so.  Today’s guilty plea and $1.3 billion penalty are just punishments for undermining U.S. sanctions and putting our financial system at risk.”

“UCB AG’s actions in deliberately providing a designated weapons-of-mass-destruction proliferator with access to the U.S. financial system for almost two years after such access was prohibited by U.S. law were particularly egregious,” said U.S. Attorney Liu.  “The bank’s impending guilty plea and the accompanying monetary penalty announced today send a clear message that financial institutions that subvert U.S. sanctions, and therefore our national security, should expect severe consequences.”

"This case is a prime example of how some institutions erroneously believe they can game the U.S. financial system and conceal their nefarious activity,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney.  "The FBI will root out and aggressively investigate institutions, like UCB AG, that conspire to violate U.S. sanctions on behalf of prohibited entities."

“The financial penalty announced today should dissuade other financial institutions around the world from scheming and circumventing U.S. sanctions by moving money around using various institutions and companies,” said Special Agent in Charge Jackson.  “Following the money is what we do—so too is holding those accountable who try to avoid following the law.”

UCB AG will waive indictment and be charged in a one-count felony criminal information, according to documents to be filed in federal court in the District of Columbia, charging UCB AG with knowingly and willfully conspiring to commit violations of IEEPA and to defraud the United States, from 2002 through 2011.  UCB AG has agreed to plead guilty to the information, has entered into a written plea agreement and has accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct.  UCB AG will enter its guilty plea before a judge in the District of Columbia.  UniCredit Group banks will pay total financial penalties of approximately $1.3 billion.  The plea agreement, subject to approval by the court, provides that UCB AG will forfeit $316,545,816 and pay a fine of $468,350,000.  

According to admissions in the non-prosecution agreement and accompanying statement of facts, between 2002 and 2012, BA used non-transparent methods to send payments related to sanctioned jurisdictions such as Iran through the United States.  BA conspired to violate IEEPA and defraud the United States by processing transactions worth at least $20 million through the United States on behalf of customers located or doing business in Iran and other countries subject to U.S. economic sanctions or customers otherwise subject to U.S. economic sanctions.  As a result of its crimes, BA will forfeit $20 million and has agreed to additional compliance and sanctions enhancements. 

In addition, UCB AG has entered into a plea agreement with the New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY) for violating New York State law pursuant to which it will pay $316,545,816.  BA has also entered into a non-prosecution agreement with DANY for violating New York State law.  DANY conducted its own investigation alongside the Justice Department.

UniCredit SpA, UCB AG and BA have also entered into various settlement agreements with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve) and the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) under which they will pay additional penalties of approximately $660 million as follows:  $611,023,421 to OFAC, which will be satisfied in part by payments to the Justice Department and the Federal Reserve, $157,770,000 to the Federal Reserve and $405 million to DFS.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Margaret A. Moeser of the Bank Integrity Unit in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Zamarin of the District of Columbia.  The case was investigated by the FBI and the IRS-CI.

The Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes complex, multi-district, and international criminal cases involving financial institutions.  The Unit’s prosecutions focus on banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.

The Department of Justice expressed its gratitude to DANY, OFAC, the Federal Reserve, DFS and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.  

WASHINGTON - UniCredit Bank AG (UCB AG), a financial institution headquartered in Munich, operating under the name HypoVereinsbank, and part of the UniCredit Group has agreed to enter a guilty plea to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to defraud the United States by processing hundreds of millions of dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of an entity designated as a weapons of mass destruction proliferator and other Iranian entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions.  UniCredit Bank Austria (BA), another financial institution in the UniCredit Group, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, agreed to forfeit $20 million and entered into a non-prosecution agreement to resolve an investigation into its violations of IEEPA.  UniCredit SpA, the parent of both UCB AG and BA, has agreed to ensure that UCB AG and BA’s obligations are fulfilled.

            Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeny of the FBI’s New York Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Kelly Jackson of the IRS-Criminal Investigations (CI) Washington Field Division made the announcement.

            According to court documents, over the course of almost 10 years, UCB AG knowingly and willfully moved at least $393 million through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned entities, most of which for an entity the U.S. Government specifically prohibited from accessing the U.S. financial system.  UCB AG engaged in this criminal conduct through a scheme, formalized in its own bank polices and designed to conceal from U.S. regulators and banks the involvement of sanctioned entities in certain transactions.  UCB AG routed illegal payments through U.S. financial institutions for the benefit of the sanctioned entities in ways that concealed the involvement of the sanctioned entities, including through the use of companies that UCB AG knew would appear unconnected to the sanctioned entity despite being controlled by the sanctioned entity.

            “When the United States sanctioned Iranian entities for proliferating weapons of mass destruction, UCB AG went to great lengths to help one such entity – Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines – evade sanctions to gain access to the U.S. financial system,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The integrity of our financial system requires financial institutions to comply with our laws, and UCB AG willfully failed to do so.  Today’s guilty plea and $1.3 billion penalty are just punishments for undermining U.S. sanctions and putting our financial system at risk.”

            “UCB AG’s actions in deliberately providing a designated weapons-of-mass-destruction proliferator with access to the U.S. financial system for almost two years after such access was prohibited by U.S. law were particularly egregious,” said U.S. Attorney Liu.  “The bank’s impending guilty plea and the accompanying monetary penalty announced today send a clear message that financial institutions that subvert U.S. sanctions, and therefore our national security, should expect severe consequences.”

            "This case is a prime example of how some institutions erroneously believe they can game the U.S. financial system and conceal their nefarious activity,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney.  "The FBI will root out and aggressively investigate institutions, like UCB AG, that conspire to violate U.S. sanctions on behalf of prohibited entities."

            “The financial penalty announced today should dissuade other financial institutions around the world from scheming and circumventing U.S. sanctions by moving money around using various institutions and companies,” said Special Agent in Charge Jackson.  “Following the money is what we do—so too is holding those accountable who try to avoid following the law.”

            UCB AG will waive indictment and be charged in a one-count felony criminal information, according to documents to be filed in federal court in the District of Columbia, charging UCB AG with knowingly and willfully conspiring to commit violations of IEEPA and to defraud the United States, from 2002 through 2011.  UCB AG has agreed to plead guilty to the information, has entered into a written plea agreement and has accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct.  UCB AG will enter its guilty plea before a judge in the District of Columbia.  UniCredit Group banks will pay total financial penalties of approximately $1.3 billion.  The plea agreement, subject to approval by the court, provides that UCB AG will forfeit $316,545,816 and pay a fine of $468,350,000.  

            According to admissions in the non-prosecution agreement and accompanying statement of facts, between 2002 and 2012, BA used non-transparent methods to send payments related to sanctioned jurisdictions such as Iran through the United States.  BA conspired to violate IEEPA and defraud the United States by processing transactions worth at least $20 million through the United States on behalf of customers located or doing business in Iran and other countries subject to U.S. economic sanctions or customers otherwise subject to U.S. economic sanctions.  As a result of its crimes, BA will forfeit $20 million and has agreed to additional compliance and sanctions enhancements. 

            In addition, UCB AG has entered into a plea agreement with the New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY) for violating New York State law pursuant to which it will pay $316,545,816.  BA has also entered into a non-prosecution agreement with DANY for violating New York State law.  DANY conducted its own investigation alongside the Justice Department.

            UniCredit SpA, UCB AG and BA have also entered into various settlement agreements with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve) and the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) under which they will pay additional penalties of approximately $660 million as follows:  $611,023,421 to OFAC, which will be satisfied in part by payments to the Justice Department and the Federal Reserve, $157,770,000 to the Federal Reserve and $405 million to DFS.

            The case was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Margaret A. Moeser of the Bank Integrity Unit in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Zamarin of the District of Columbia.  The case was investigated by the FBI and the IRS-CI.

            The Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes complex, multi-district, and international criminal cases involving financial institutions.  The Unit’s prosecutions focus on banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.

            The Department of Justice expressed its gratitude to DANY, OFAC, the Federal Reserve, DFS and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.  

            WASHINGTON –Thai national Apichart Srivaranon 34, was sentenced today in the District of Columbia to 26 months in prison on federal charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to export defense articles from the United States to Thailand.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of the Baltimore Field Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

            Srivaranon pleaded guilty to charges in both Maryland and the District of Columbia in January and March 2019, respectively, as required by his plea agreement in each District.

            In the District of Columbia, he was sentenced today by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. In Maryland, he was sentenced on April 11, 2018 by the Honorable George J. Hazel, who imposed a sentence of 26 months of incarceration and a forfeiture of $10,000.  The sentences imposed in both cases will be served concurrently.  Following his prison terms, Srivaranon will be deported from the United States and returned to Thailand.

          Srivaranon admitted that between 2012 and 2014, he conspired with individuals in the United States and Thailand to obtain firearm parts in the United States that were listed on the United States Munitions List (USML) and then exported, and attempted to export, the firearm parts to Thailand without having first obtained the required license or written authorization from the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, an office in the United States Department of State.

            As detailed in his plea agreements, during the conspiracy, Srivaranon and his co-conspirators ordered firearms parts on the USML from U.S.-based firearms parts retailers and caused those firearms parts to ship to addresses in the United States where co-conspirators lived, visited, or conducted business. At the direction of Srivaranon and others, co-conspirators would then repackage the USML firearms parts in the United States; falsely label United States Postal Services Form 2976 and Customs Declarations CN 22 (sender’s declarations forms) by using fake names for return addresses; falsely declare the contents of the packages and understate their value; and then ship the USML firearms parts to Thailand via the U.S. mail and private shipping companies.  This was done to conceal the prohibited exports from detection by the U.S. government.

            In the District of Columbia cases, Srivaranon admitted that to facilitate the scheme, he and others deposited funds into co-conspirators’ bank accounts in Thailand.  The funds were deposited in Thai Baht currency.  The co-conspirators would then withdraw U.S. dollars from automatic teller machines in the United States, as payment for their participation in the scheme. 

            Srivaranon was arrested in Las Vegas, Nev. on January 22, 2018, after flying there from Thailand to attend a trade show unrelated to the charges in the case.  He has been in custody since his arrest.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu, U.S. Attorney Hur, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Morant commended the work of those who investigated the case from the HSI’s Baltimore Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick Yette and Trial Attorney Rebecca A. Caruso of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Hayes and Bryan Foreman, who handled the related prosecution in the District of Maryland.

WASHINGTON – Keith Forney, 60, of Clinton, Md., has been found guilty by a jury of fraud and other charges related to his fraudulently obtaining preferences for his company, Forney Enterprises, Inc. (FEI), in bidding for District of Columbia government contracts.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.

            Forney was found guilty of three counts of fraud, two counts of perjury, and one count of corrupt election practices.  The verdict was returned on April 11, 2019, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2019.  Forney faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison for the fraud counts, ten years for the perjury counts, and five years for corrupt election practices. 

            Forney was previously found guilty on April 1, 2019, in a bench trial before Judge O’Keefe, of 11 counts of making illegal campaign contributions.  The maximum sentence for each of these counts is six months in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, FEI was a business located in the District of Columbia.  The District government had a preference program for local businesses when bidding for D.C. government contracts.  The Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) certified that local businesses were eligible for preferences in certain categories.  One of the categories was as a resident-owned business (ROB).  The ROB category was worth five preference points, meaning that a bid was evaluated as if it was 5% less than the actual bid amount.  On average, FEI bid for 15-30 government contracts per year using the ROB preference points.  All of the contracts were worth over $1 million.

            In 2012, 2014, and 2016, Forney submitted applications to DSLBD listing an address in the District of Columbia as his residence in order to obtain the ROB preference points.  Forney never lived at the address.  He had purchased the property in 2005 when it was being leased to a tenant.  Forney continued to rent the property out while using the address for the ROB designation.  Forney also obtained a D.C. driver’s license and a D.C. voter registration with the address of the rental property.  He then submitted these documents to DSLBD to make it appear that he lived there.  Forney applied for his D.C. voter registration in July 2007.  He certified on the application that he was not registered to vote in any other jurisdiction when in fact he was registered to vote in Maryland.  Forney continued to vote in Maryland after registering to vote in D.C. and did not cancel his Maryland registration until 2015.  Forney also obtained Maryland and D.C. driver’s licenses on the same day.

            The evidence at trial on the campaign finance charges established that Forney made the maximum allowable donations as an individual and on behalf of FEI to three candidates running for the D.C. council.  Forney then directed associates to make personal contributions to these same candidates.  Forney used FEI funds to reimburse the associates for the contributions.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Saler and Andrea Duvall. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz, Financial Analyst: Bryan J. Snitselaar. Paralegal Specialists: C. Rosalind Pressley, Joshua Fein, and Amanda Rohde; former Paralegal Specialists Toni Anne Donato and Kristy Penny, and former Criminal Investigator Juan Juarez.

 

A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging Gregory B. Craig, a Washington-based lawyer, with making false statements and concealing material information about his activities on behalf of Ukraine from the Department of Justice, National Security Division’s Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit (FARA Unit). 

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office.

Craig, 74, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for willfully falsifying and concealing material facts from the FARA Unit, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(1), and for making false and misleading statements to the FARA Unit, in violation Title 22, United States Code, Section 618(a)(2).

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and is not evidence of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

The maximum penalties for the charged offenses are, respectively, five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, and five years’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.  The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Craig is to be arraigned at a date to be scheduled by the Court.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez and Molly Gaston of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Jason McCullough of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging Gregory B. Craig, a Washington-based lawyer, with making false statements and concealing material information about his activities on behalf of Ukraine from the Department of Justice, National Security Division’s Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit (FARA Unit). 

            The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office.

            Craig, 74, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for willfully falsifying and concealing material facts from the FARA Unit, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(1), and for making false and misleading statements to the FARA Unit, in violation Title 22, United States Code, Section 618(a)(2).

            An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and is not evidence of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

            The maximum penalties for the charged offenses are, respectively, five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, and five years’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.  The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            Craig is to be arraigned at a date to be scheduled by the Court.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez and Molly Gaston of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Jason McCullough of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia paid tribute today with a Moment of Silence at a ceremony honoring crime victims and survivors for their remarkable courage, determination and sacrifice.

            At mid-afternoon, U.S. Attorney Liu, Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessio D. Evangelista, and dozens of attorneys, victim advocates and support personnel gathered outside the office for a Moment of Silence, followed by the reading of first names of 61 victims and survivors whose experiences inspired all those seeking justice.

            The event was timed with the annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s national theme, “Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future,” celebrates the progress made over the decades and looks to a future of crime victim services that are even more inclusive, accessible, and trauma-informed.

            “We gathered this afternoon to take a brief moment out of our busy day to honor the crime victims and survivors we work so hard to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Those of us who work for our Office come to this building most days with some sense of anticipation, commitment or even pride.  Yet for crime victims, this building is the last place they want to be – and we hope that the work that we do helps these victims get through the worst of days.  For crime victims, this process has never been easy. But the passage of crime victims’ rights legislation has given victims a powerful voice and mandated that they are not forgotten as the case jackets pile up on our desks.  So it is fitting that we step away from our desks today – as we do every April – to take a moment to recognize the victims and survivors who inspire and motivate us. “

            Today’s event was developed and organized by the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Members of the Unit provide essential services and support to victims and witnesses, such as making referrals for counseling and other services, addressing safety concerns, arranging travel, and accompanying victims to court proceedings.  The Unit also notifies victims of their rights and provides information regarding significant case events, such as the filing of charges, plea hearings, trials and sentencing hearings.

            Each year in April, the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime. The Justice Department will host the Office for Victims of Crime’s annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2019, to honor outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.

            “Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured.”

            The Office of Justice Programs provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems, by disseminating state-of-the art knowledge and practices across America, and providing grants for the implementation of these crime-fighting strategies. Because most of the responsibility for crime control and prevention falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter into partnerships with these officers. More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov. More information about Crime Victim’s Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.

            Additional information about the Victim Witness Assistance Unit is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance-unit

WASHINGTON – Harry Pressley, 28, of Washington, D.C., and Jaquan Warren, 29, of New York, N.Y., pled guilty today to charges stemming from the shooting of a man they lured via Facebook and text messages to a location in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Both defendants pled guilty to charges of aggravated assault while armed and obstruction of justice. Pressley also pled guilty to a firearms charge in a separate case. The pleas, which are subject to the Court’s approval, call for Pressley to be sentenced to an agreed-upon range of 10 to 15 years in prison and for Warren to be sentenced to an agreed-upon term of eight years in prison, with two years of that time to be suspended. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for June 21, 2019. Pressley and Warren remain in custody.

            According to the government’s evidence, Pressley and Warren lured the victim to Southeast Washington by posing as a woman on Facebook. Warren borrowed the woman’s phone, which is how they accessed her Facebook account. Starting on Nov. 22, 2016, the two communicated with the victim over Facebook and text messages, using flirtatious language and suggesting the possibility of a late-night sexual encounter. At about 4 a.m. on Nov. 23, 2016, the defendants texted the victim that he should come to the 2600 block of Southern Avenue SE, noting how, “It’ll be worth your time I promise I wouldn’t be texting this late to play babe.”

            At about 4:35 a.m., as the victim exited a park near the intersection of 23rd Street and Savannah Terrace Street SE, he noticed a man dressed in all black emerge from a van. The man – who wore a mask that exposed his eyes and nose – extended his arm and shot at the victim from five to 10 feet away. The victim was hit once in the stomach and once in the upper left arm. He survived the attack and later identified Pressley, a childhood friend, as the shooter. The victim suffered serious injuries to his kidney, small intestines, colon, rib case, and left arm.

            Warren returned the cellphone hours after the shooting. Two days later, on Nov. 25, 2016, the woman agreed to accompany Warren and Pressley on a short trip to South Carolina. During the trip, Warren asked the woman to take the wheel and she agreed. As she approached the driver’s side, Pressley fired two gunshots into her arm and two in the back. Pressley and Warren then drove off, leaving the woman for dead in the middle of a deserted road in Florence County, S.C., at 3 a.m. A man who happened to be driving by noticed her and called 911. The woman survived the attack. 

            Pressley was arrested on Nov. 29, 2016, in the District of Columbia. Warren was eventually arrested on May 5, 2017, in New York City. At the time of his arrest, Warren provided a fake ID and alias. Pressley, meanwhile, tried to concoct a false alibi while incarcerated.

            Pressley and Warren had faced attempted murder charges in South Carolina, which are to be dismissed as part of the plea agreement in this case.

            In the second case, Pressley pled guilty to a firearms offense stemming from his arrest on Sept. 9, 2015, in Southeast Washington by officers who caught him with the weapon.

            The shooting case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. Assistance was provided by the Florence County, S.C. Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Delaware State Police, and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Baset, with assistance from Florence County, S.C. Assistant Solicitor General Ryan White and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark and Intern Andrew Delaplane, both of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), a global financial institution headquartered in London, England, has agreed to forfeiture of $240 million, a fine of $480 million, and to the amendment and extension of its deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Justice Department for an additional two years for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).  This criminal conspiracy, lasting from 2007 through 2011, resulted in SCB processing approximately 9,500 financial transactions worth approximately $240 million through U.S. financial institutions for the benefit of Iranian entities. 

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office, Chief Don Fort of the IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), and District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. of New York County made the announcement.

The New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY) is also announcing today that SCB has agreed to amend its DPA with DANY and extend for two additional years, and to pay an additional financial penalty of $292,210,160.  Under the amended DPA with DANY, SCB has admitted that it violated New York State law by, among other things, falsifying the records of New York financial institutions.  SCB has also entered into separate settlement agreements with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve), the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), and the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under which SCB shall pay additional penalties totaling more than $477 million.  The Justice Department has agreed to credit a portion of these related payments and, after crediting, will collect $52,210,160 of the fine, in addition to SCB’s $240 million forfeiture.

In connection with the conspiracy, a former employee of SCB’s branch in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), referred to as Person A, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia for conspiring to defraud the United States and to violate IEEPA.  A two-count criminal indictment was unsealed today in federal court in the District of Columbia charging Mahmoud Reza Elyassi, an Iranian national, 49, and former customer of SCB Dubai, with participating in the conspiracy.

“Today’s resolution sends a clear message to financial institutions and their employees: if you circumvent U.S. sanctions against rogue states like Iran—or assist those who do—you will pay a steep price,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “When a global bank processes transactions through the U.S. financial system, its compliance program must be up to the task of detecting and preventing sanctions violations—and when it is not, banks have an obligation to identify, report, and remediate any shortcomings.  The Justice Department is committed to protecting our U.S. financial system and will continue to hold financial institutions and individuals to account when they violate U.S. sanctions laws.” 

“SCB and the individuals whose charges were unsealed today undermined the integrity of our financial system and harmed our national security by deliberately providing Iranians with coveted access to the U.S. economy,” said U.S. Attorney Liu.  “The financial penalty announced today leaves no doubt that repeat corporate offenders with deficient compliance programs will pay a steep price.  When bank employees and customers conspire to violate U.S. sanctions and subvert our national security, we will bring them to justice no matter where they reside or operate.”

“U.S. sanctions laws exist to protect our national security and the integrity of our financial systems,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney.  “Global banks that facilitate transactions through our financial institutions have to play by these rules, plain and simple.  Allowing hostile nations access to our economy is dangerous business.  The deferred prosecution agreement and charges announced today make it abundantly clear that any alleged violation of IEEPA, whether on behalf of an individual or entity, will not be taken lightly.”

“The financial penalty announced today should dissuade other financial institutions around the world from thinking they can circumvent U.S. sanctions by moving money around the world through various institutions and in various forms,” said IRS-CI Chief Fort.  “Following complex money trails is what we do—so too is holding those accountable who try to avoid following the law.”

“Our office’s unique jurisdiction and expert personnel have again enabled us to deliver hundreds of millions in ill-gotten gains to the People of New York while contributing to America’s longstanding effort to promote democratic values around the world,” said Manhattan District Attorney Vance.  “We are honored and privileged to collaborate in this shared endeavor with the supremely talented public servants of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury, the New York Department of Financial Services, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.”

A two-count felony criminal information was filed today in the District of Columbia charging SCB with illegally conspiring to violate IEEPA.  The first count alleges SCB’s participation in a criminal conspiracy from 2001 through 2007; the United States first charged SCB with this illegal conduct on Dec. 10, 2012, and under the terms of a DPA entered the same day, the government agreed to defer prosecution and SCB agreed to pay a financial penalty of $227 million.  The second count alleges SCB’s participation in a criminal conspiracy to violate IEEPA from 2007 through 2011.  This latter conspiracy resulted in SCB intentionally processing U.S. dollar transactions through the U.S. financial system for the benefit of Iranian individuals and entities worth approximately $240 million.  In the amended DPA, SCB admitted and accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct, agreed to extend the term of the agreement for an additional two years and, among other things, agreed to additional cooperation, compliance and disclosure obligations. 

As part of the amended DPA announced today, SCB admitted that, from 2007 through 2011, two former employees of its branch in Dubai, willfully conspired to help Iran-connected customers conduct U.S. dollar transactions through the U.S. financial system for the benefit of Iranian individuals and entities.  One of these Iran-connected customers was Elyassi, an Iranian national who operated business accounts with SCB’s Dubai branch while residing in Iran.  SCB’s former employees helped Elyassi manage these accounts, concealed their Iranian connections, and facilitated foreign currency transactions in U.S. dollars.  SCB’s former employees knew that Elyassi’s business organizations operated from Iran and conducted U.S. dollar transactions for the benefit of Iranian interests, and helped Elyassi disguise his Iranian connections to avoid suspicion.

According to the indictment unsealed today, Elyassi and his co-conspirators registered numerous supposed general trading companies in the UAE, and used those companies as fronts for a money exchange business located in Iran.  Between November 2007 and August 2011, Elyassi used a business account at SCB’s Dubai branch to cause U.S. dollar transactions to be sent and received through the U.S. financial system for the benefit of individuals and entities ordinarily resident in Iran in violation of U.S. economic sanctions.  The charges in the indictment as to Elyassi are merely allegations, and Elyassi is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SCB admitted to processing approximately 9,500 U.S. dollar transactions through the United States totaling approximately $240 million on behalf of Elyassi’s companies between 2007 and 2011.  More than half of these U.S. dollar transactions were the result of deficiencies in SCB’s compliance program which allowed customers to request U.S. dollar transactions from within sanctioned countries, including Iran.

Since mid-2013, SCB has engaged in significant remediation, including the comprehensive enhancement of its U.S. economic sanctions compliance program and significant improvements to its financial crime compliance program.  Once presented with evidence of potential post-2007 sanctions violations, SCB provided substantial cooperation in the government’s investigation, including by producing significant evidence of criminal wrongdoing perpetrated by its employees and customers.

This matter was investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office and the IRS-CI’s Washington D.C. Field Division.  The cases are being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section’s Bank Integrity Unit and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  Trial Attorney Jennifer Wine of the Bank Integrity Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Friedman and Peter Lallas of the District of Columbia are handling the matters.

The Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes complex, multi-district, and international criminal cases involving financial institutions.  The Unit’s prosecutions focus on banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.

The New York County District Attorney’s Office conducted its own investigation in conjunction with the Justice Department, including Assistant District Attorneys Jose Fanjul and Kevin Wilson serving as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the District of Columbia.  The Justice Department expressed its gratitude to OFAC, the Federal Reserve, DFS, and the FCA.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.

WASHINGTON – Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), a global financial institution headquartered in London, England, has agreed to forfeiture of $240 million, a fine of $480 million, and to the amendment and extension of its deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Justice Department for an additional two years for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). This criminal conspiracy, lasting from 2007 through 2011, resulted in SCB processing approximately 9,500 financial transactions worth approximately $240 million through U.S. financial institutions for the benefit of Iranian entities.

            Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office, Chief Don Fort of the IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), and District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. of New York County made the announcement.

            The New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY) is also announcing today that SCB has agreed to amend its DPA with DANY and extend for two additional years, and to pay an additional financial penalty of $292,210,160. Under the amended DPA with DANY, SCB has admitted that it violated New York State law by, among other things, falsifying the records of New York financial institutions. SCB has also entered into separate settlement agreements with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve), the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), and the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under which SCB shall pay additional penalties totaling more than $477 million. The Justice Department has agreed to credit a portion of these related payments and, after crediting, will collect $52,210,160 of the fine, in addition to SCB’s $240 million forfeiture.

            In connection with the conspiracy, a former employee of SCB’s branch in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), referred to as Person A, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia for conspiring to defraud the United States and to violate IEEPA. A two-count criminal indictment was unsealed today in federal court in the District of Columbia charging Mahmoud Reza Elyassi, an Iranian national, 49, and former customer of SCB Dubai, with participating in the conspiracy.

            “Today’s resolution sends a clear message to financial institutions and their employees: if you circumvent U.S. sanctions against rogue states like Iran—or assist those who do—you will pay a steep price,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “When a global bank processes transactions through the U.S. financial system, its compliance program must be up to the task of detecting and preventing sanctions violations—and when it is not, banks have an obligation to identify, report, and remediate any shortcomings. The Justice Department is committed to protecting our U.S. financial system and will continue to hold financial institutions and individuals to account when they violate U.S. sanctions laws.” 

            “SCB and the individuals whose charges were unsealed today undermined the integrity of our financial system and harmed our national security by deliberately providing Iranians with coveted access to the U.S. economy,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “The financial penalty announced today leaves no doubt that repeat corporate offenders with deficient compliance programs will pay a steep price. When bank employees and customers conspire to violate U.S. sanctions and subvert our national security, we will bring them to justice no matter where they reside or operate.”

            “U.S. sanctions laws exist to protect our national security and the integrity of our financial systems,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney. “Global banks that facilitate transactions through our financial institutions have to play by these rules, plain and simple. Allowing hostile nations access to our economy is dangerous business. The deferred prosecution agreement and charges announced today make it abundantly clear that any alleged violation of IEEPA, whether on behalf of an individual or entity, will not be taken lightly.”

            “The financial penalty announced today should dissuade other financial institutions around the world from thinking they can circumvent U.S. sanctions by moving money around the world through various institutions and in various forms,” said IRS-CI Chief Fort. “Following complex money trails is what we do—so too is holding those accountable who try to avoid following the law.”

            “Our office’s unique jurisdiction and expert personnel have again enabled us to deliver hundreds of millions in ill-gotten gains to the People of New York while contributing to America’s longstanding effort to promote democratic values around the world,” said Manhattan District Attorney Vance. “We are honored and privileged to collaborate in this shared endeavor with the supremely talented public servants of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury, the New York Department of Financial Services, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.”

            A two-count felony criminal information was filed today in the District of Columbia charging SCB with illegally conspiring to violate IEEPA. The first count alleges SCB’s participation in a criminal conspiracy from 2001 through 2007; the United States first charged SCB with this illegal conduct on Dec. 10, 2012, and under the terms of a DPA entered the same day, the government agreed to defer prosecution and SCB agreed to pay a financial penalty of $227 million. The second count alleges SCB’s participation in a criminal conspiracy to violate IEEPA from 2007 through 2011. This latter conspiracy resulted in SCB intentionally processing U.S. dollar transactions through the U.S. financial system for the benefit of Iranian individuals and entities worth approximately $240 million. In the amended DPA, SCB admitted and accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct, agreed to extend the term of the agreement for an additional two years and, among other things, agreed to additional cooperation, compliance and disclosure obligations.

            As part of the amended DPA announced today, SCB admitted that, from 2007 through 2011, two former employees of its branch in Dubai, willfully conspired to help Iran-connected customers conduct U.S. dollar transactions through the U.S. financial system for the benefit of Iranian individuals and entities. One of these Iran-connected customers was Elyassi, an Iranian national who operated business accounts with SCB’s Dubai branch while residing in Iran. SCB’s former employees helped Elyassi manage these accounts, concealed their Iranian connections, and facilitated foreign currency transactions in U.S. dollars. SCB’s former employees knew that Elyassi’s business organizations operated from Iran and conducted U.S. dollar transactions for the benefit of Iranian interests, and helped Elyassi disguise his Iranian connections to avoid suspicion.

            According to the indictment unsealed today, Elyassi and his co-conspirators registered numerous supposed general trading companies in the UAE, and used those companies as fronts for a money exchange business located in Iran. Between November 2007 and August 2011, Elyassi used a business account at SCB’s Dubai branch to cause U.S. dollar transactions to be sent and received through the U.S. financial system for the benefit of individuals and entities ordinarily resident in Iran in violation of U.S. economic sanctions. The charges in the indictment as to Elyassi are merely allegations, and Elyassi is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            SCB admitted to processing approximately 9,500 U.S. dollar transactions through the United States totaling approximately $240 million on behalf of Elyassi’s companies between 2007 and 2011. More than half of these U.S. dollar transactions were the result of deficiencies in SCB’s compliance program which allowed customers to request U.S. dollar transactions from within sanctioned countries, including Iran.

            Since mid-2013, SCB has engaged in significant remediation, including the comprehensive enhancement of its U.S. economic sanctions compliance program and significant improvements to its financial crime compliance program. Once presented with evidence of potential post-2007 sanctions violations, SCB provided substantial cooperation in the government’s investigation, including by producing significant evidence of criminal wrongdoing perpetrated by its employees and customers.

            This matter was investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office and the IRS-CI’s Washington D.C. Field Division. The cases are being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section’s Bank Integrity Unit and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Trial Attorney Jennifer Wine of the Bank Integrity Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Friedman and Peter Lallas of the District of Columbia are handling the matters.

            The Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes complex, multi-district, and international criminal cases involving financial institutions.  The Unit’s prosecutions focus on banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.

            The New York County District Attorney’s Office conducted its own investigation in conjunction with the Justice Department, including Assistant District Attorneys Jose Fanjul and Kevin Wilson serving as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the District of Columbia. The Justice Department expressed its gratitude to OFAC, the Federal Reserve, DFS, and the FCA. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.

WASHINGTON – Tony John Evans, 30, formerly of New York, N.Y., was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging scheme that caused a Maryland man to embezzle more than $4 million from his employer in Washington, D.C.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Evans pled guilty in September 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of interference with interstate commerce by extortion and aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done. He was sentenced by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Following his prison term, Evans will be placed on three years of supervised release. In addition, he was ordered to pay $4,217,542 in restitution, as well as $3,119,010 in a forfeiture money judgment.

            Evans and several members of his family were indicted in April 2018.

            In his plea agreement, Evans admitted that from January 2017 through April 2017, he worked with other individuals to extort and defraud others out of money, precious metals, and luxury merchandise. As part of the scheme, he pretended to be a mobster in order to get a Maryland man to provide him and his fellow conspirators with money, luxury goods, and gold. Evans threatened to harm the man and his family if payments were not made.

            As a result of Evans and other conspirators’ actions, the man embezzled more than $4 million from his employer in the District of Columbia over a three-month period for the purpose of providing it to Evans and the other conspirators. Towards the end of the conspiracy, the man delivered more than $1 million in gold—which he had purchased with embezzled funds—to a hotel in New York. Evans admitted that he retrieved the gold bars, delivered them to other individuals, and sold several of the bars to a gold dealer in New York in exchange for cash. 

            In October 2017, the FBI executed a search warrant on Evans’s safe deposit box at a bank in New York. The safe deposit box contained gold and expensive jewelry, including luxury watches and diamonds. As part of his plea agreement, Evans agreed to forfeit his rights to all of the items recovered from the safe deposit box. He also surrendered two additional one-kilogram gold bars to the FBI, along with a Rolex watch, which he purchased with criminal proceeds.

            Charges against five co-defendants remain pending.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who is assisting with forfeiture issues, Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Joshua Fein, former Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi and Kristy Penny, and Forensic Accountant Bryan Snitselaar.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Kent and Kondi Kleinman, who investigated and are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – A former staff member who worked in an office of a United States Senator pled guilty today to federal charges stemming from his theft of Senate information and the illegal posting of restricted personal information of five U.S. Senators on the Wikipedia website, as well as related conduct.

            The announcement was made by Alessio D. Evangelista, the Acting U.S. Attorney in this case, and Matthew R. Verderosa, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.

            Jackson A. Cosko, 27, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to five federal offenses: two counts of making public restricted personal information; one count of computer fraud; one count of witness tampering, and one count of obstruction of justice. Under federal sentencing guidelines, which are to be calculated at a later date, Cosko could face a prison term within the range of either 30 to 37 months or 46 to 57 months. The plea agreement requires Cosko to forfeit computers, cellphones and other equipment used in the crimes. The Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, the U.S. Capitol Police began an investigation on Sept. 27, 2018, after it was determined that the Wikipedia pages of three U.S. Senators had been edited to include restricted personal information without their knowledge or permission. This information included home addresses and personal telephone numbers. These edits took place roughly contemporaneously with public – and highly publicized – Senate proceedings related to a nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court. Then, on Oct. 1, 2018, similar information was posted on the Wikipedia pages of two additional Senators.

            “Doxxing” is the act of gathering, by licit and illicit means, and posting on the Internet personal identifying information (“PII”) and other sensitive information about an individual.

            In a statement of offense submitted as part of today’s plea, Cosko admitted that he had been angry about his termination in May 2018 from his employment as a computer systems administrator in the office of another U.S. Senator (described in court documents as Senator #1). As a result, beginning no later than July 2018 and continuing until October 2018, he engaged in an extensive computer fraud and data theft scheme. He admitted that he carried out the scheme by breaking into Senator # 1’s office on at least four occasions and accessing Senate-owned computers for the express purpose of stealing proprietary electronic information, including the personal contact information for numerous other Senators. He then published the contact information for five U.S. Senators (identified as Senators #2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) using Wikipedia and Twitter, with the intent to threaten and intimidate these five Senators and their families.  

            On the night of Oct. 2, 2018, according to the evidence, a witness saw Cosko at a computer in Senator # 1’s office. The witness confronted Cosko, who left the office. Later that evening, according to the statement of offense, Cosko sent a threatening e-mail to the witness, titling it, “I own EVERYTHING” and warning that, “If you tell anyone I will leak it all.” Additionally, that evening Cosko attempted to delete electronic evidence from items including a laptop computer that he used to obtain and download the stolen data.

            An investigation led to Cosko’s arrest the following day by the U.S. Capitol Police.

            This case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Demian S. Ahn, Tejpal S. Chawla, and Youli Lee. Assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialists Diane Brashears and Matthew Ruggierio and Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Shawne Proctor 27, and Calvin Abney 28, both of Washington D.C., were sentenced today to prison terms of 15 years and 12 years, respectively, on charges stemming from an armed robbery and pistol-whipping that took place in Southeast Washington in June 2018, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Proctor and Abney were found guilty by a jury in January 2019 of charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The verdict followed a month-long trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The men were sentenced by the Honorable Marisa Demeo. Following their prison terms, both men will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Proctor and Abney conspired to commit the crime as part of a larger scheme to rob local drug dealers. In the early morning of June 9, 2018, Proctor, a former friend of one of the victims, called and requested marijuana. Proctor instructed the victim to drive from Maryland into the District of Columbia for the exchange.

            The victim, who did not have a car, brought a friend to drive him. Upon arriving to the location, in the 800 block of Southern Avenue SE, Proctor had the men drive to a more secluded street. When Proctor entered the victim’s car to inspect the marijuana, he signaled Abney by cellphone. Abney, who was armed with a firearm, entered the car, pistol-whipped the driver, and stole money and marijuana from both men. Two unidentified individuals helped with the crime by surrounding the vehicle armed with firearms, and then driving off in the victim’s car.

           The victim reported Proctor to the police and later identified Abney in a photo array. A search of both men’s cellphones revealed text messages setting up similar robberies. Proctor was arrested in June 2018, and Abney was arrested in August 2018. Both have been in custody ever since.

            At the time of the incident, Proctor was on supervision following his conviction for an armed robbery offense in Prince George’s County, and Abney was on supervision for conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, a federal offense in Maryland. Both now could face additional time in those matters.

           In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Rickard and John Hill; Paralegal Specialists Richard Cheatham and Wanda Trice, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen.

           Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gauri Gopal and Alyse Constantinide, who investigated, indicted and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Lamont Jones, 51, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for an attack in which he shot an employee of a construction company multiple times, including the face, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Jones plead guilty in January 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of assault with intent to kill. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for Jones to be sentenced to seven years in prison. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea and sentenced Jones accordingly. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the shooting took place on Oct 26, 2018, at about 4 p.m., with Jones approaching the victim and shooting him multiple times at close range near a construction site in the 5300 block of D Street SE. One shot struck the victim in the head.

            The incident stemmed from an earlier dispute at the construction site at which both Jones and the victim were employed. Jones and another employee got into an argument at the construction earlier in the day on Oct. 26, 2018. Jones told the employee that he would kill him. Jones returned to the construction site later that day and, encountering only the victim and not the other employee, shot the victim multiple times.

            The victim reported that the delivery driver for the company was the individual who had shot him. Jones was identified as the only driver that visited that construction site on Oct. 26, 2018. One of four witnesses identified the defendant from a photo array, and Jones was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on Nov. 26, 2018.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Hill and Victim/Witness Advocate Elsa Maltese.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina Wolf and Alyse Constantinide, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Andre Becton, 28, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of second-degree murder while armed and related firearms offenses stemming from a shooting that took place in Southeast Washington in September 2016, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Becton was found guilty by a jury on April 4, 2019, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Juliet McKenna scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Sept. 15, 2016, the victim, Darnell “Kirk” Peoples, Sr., agreed to help a woman buy drugs. They encountered a group of young men who were playing craps in the 600 block of Mellon Street SE, in front of a neighborhood market. Mr. Peoples made a remark that offended the group, leading to a confrontation with Becton. Mr. Peoples tried to quash the trouble, but Becton pulled out a gun and started counting down. Mr. Peoples unsuccessfully tried to get the gun. Becton shot him two times in front of numerous people and fled the scene.  Mr. Peoples, 35, stumbled across the street and collapsed, shot in the neck and the left hip.

            The Metropolitan Police Department arrived within minutes and Mr. Peoples managed to mumble before he died that he was shot by “Dre from Trenton Park.”  Becton was arrested on Oct. 21, 2016, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. 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; Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite, Stephanie Siegerist, Meridith McGarrity, Alesha Matthews, and Richard Cheatham; Victim/Witness Security Specialist Lesley Slade; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators La June Thames and Tanya Via; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and interns Jeremy Kelly and Madison Jansky.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Trigoso and Lindsey Merikas, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Kelby Gordon, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for distributing narcotics in Washington, D.C.  – a  prison term that he must serve in addition to the 37-year prison term he recently was given in a murder case.  

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Gordon was found guilty by a jury on Jan. 10, 2019 of unlawful distribution of fentanyl. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden. The sentence is to run consecutively to the 37-year prison term that Gordon is serving for a murder in Southeast Washington. In sentencing Gordon, Judge McFadden highlighted the danger of fentanyl abuse to the community; a report by the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner cited fentanyl and its analogs as a key factor in a drastic increase in recent years of overdose deaths in the city.

            The narcotics charge arose from a long-term investigation initiated by the Washington D.C. FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force into the violence and associated narcotics trafficking in the area of Birney Place SE. Gordon and numerous other defendants were indicted in December 2017 for their roles in the operation. A total of 12 people faced charges in the investigation; 10 pled guilty and two, including Gordon, were found guilty of charges at trial.

            The investigation determined that from at least January 2016 through December 2017, the various defendants maintained a drug trafficking organization that supplied distribution amounts of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin to drug dealers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Much of the activity took place in the Birney Place area of Southeast Washington. In particular, the investigation showed that several of the defendants regularly sold crack cocaine and heroin in the 2600 block of Birney Place SE. 

            According to the government’s evidence, an undercover law enforcement officer met with Gordon during the investigation to purchase heroin. The evidence showed that the substance he actually sold the officer that day was a fentanyl analog.

            Gordon was sentenced on Dec. 14, 2018, to 37 years in prison for killing an innocent bystander and firing into an occupied bedroom during a broad-daylight shooting in Southeast Washington. According to the government’s evidence, on March 24, 2016, at approximately 11:15 a.m., the victim, Gabriel Turner, was walking in a cut-through behind the 2600 block of Birney Place SE, headed to a nearby bus stop. Mr. Turner, 46, who had intellectual disabilities and who was working at the FBI as a janitor, had just finished having breakfast with his mother – as he had every morning. Gordon, meanwhile, was in the area and, after seeing another man pull out a large amount of money, decided to rob that man near the mouth of the cut-through.

            However, as Gordon attempted to rob the man, the man began to pull out his own firearm. Gordon, in his own words, gave the man no chance, and pulled his gun out first. The two men began running down the cut-through behind Mr. Turner.

            Unbeknownst to Mr. Turner, Gordon planted his feet and began firing towards the man, who fled in the same direction that Mr. Turner was walking. The man who Gordon was targeting weaved around Mr. Turner and escaped, but a single bullet struck Mr. Turner in the upper back as he ducked. The bullet lodged itself in Mr. Turner’s sinus – killing him almost instantly. Two other bullets flew into an occupied apartment across the street, just missing the head of a second victim as he returned to bed. 

            In announcing today’s sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended those who investigated the case from the Safe Streets Task Force, including the FBI, MPD, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). They also acknowledged the work of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Mary Downing; Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton. They additionally expressed appreciation for the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Merikas and Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the murder case.

            Finally they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar R. Mohanty, who investigated and prosecuted the narcotics case.

 

WASHINGTON – A 49-year-old man, formerly of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of multiple charges for sexually abusing his niece when she was 11 and 12 years old, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, recently resided in Northwest Washington with his wife and children. He was found guilty by a jury on April 3, 2019, of four counts of second-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child with aggravating circumstances, and assault. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Craig Iscoe ordered that he be held without bond until sentencing on May 31, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, the victim lived in Florida with her mother during the year, but visited her father and his family in the District of Columbia every summer. When she visited the District of Columbia, she spent part of her time with the defendant and his family.

            In the summer of 2016, when the victim was 11 years old, the defendant began sexually abusing her during these visits. The nature of his abuse escalated over time. The defendant pressured the victim not to tell, and she was afraid to disclose the abuse for fear of not being believed and of causing stress within the family.

            Following the defendant’s final act of abuse in June 2017, the victim could not keep the abuse a secret anymore, and she disclosed the abuse to her aunt, the defendant’s wife. The victim later disclosed to her father, as well, and the abuse was then reported to the Metropolitan Police Department. The defendant was arrested in July 2017.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of members of the Youth and Family Services Division of the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenechukwu Okocha, who investigated and indicted the case; Appellate Division Deputy Chief John Mannarino; Victim/Witness Assistance Unit Chief Sarah McClellan; Paralegal Specialists Brenda C. Williams and D’Yvonne Key; Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; and Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown.

            Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Loeb, who prosecuted the case at trial.

 

WASHINGTON – A federal judge has ordered the forfeiture of $148,500 in blocked funds associated with a Taiwan-based company that allegedly laundered United States dollars in business dealings with North Korean and Syrian entities, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Division.

            The Honorable Richard J. Leon granted the government’s motion for summary judgment in a civil forfeiture case targeting funds held in the name of Trans Multi Mechanics Company Limited (Trans Multi). The complaint alleged that Trans Multi and its owner, Tsai Hsien-Tsai, also known as Alex Tsai, laundered United States dollars to further his exportation of goods for the benefit of North Korean and Syrian entities involved in the respective regimes’ weapons programs. The complaint sought to forfeit funds laundered by Tsai.

            “The Court found that these blocked funds were the product of Tsai’s attempts to sell tools to a Syrian company using U.S. Dollars and a series of front companies,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Sanctions laws are critical to our national security and foreign policy interests, and this case demonstrates that we will seek significant remedies against those companies that violate them.”

            "Attempts by individuals such as Tsai to circumvent economic sanctions through money laundering undermine foreign policy established to keep the United States and its citizens safe,” said Special Agent in Charge Sallet. “This judgment underscores the FBI’s commitment to national security and serves as a reminder that the FBI will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice."

            The complaint was filed in June 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to the complaint, Tsai frequently transacted with companies in North Korea and Syria which assisted with each regime’s respective weapons programs. On Jan. 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) designated Tsai, his wife, and two companies he controlled. The designation noted that Tsai used these companies to transact with North Korean proliferators of weapons of mass destruction.

            Between April and June of 2012, OFAC blocked $148,500 in the process of being transferred from a bank account in Hong Kong controlled by Tsai to a Taiwanese bank account in the name of his daughter as it traveled through the United States correspondent banking system. 

            Tsai was arrested in Estonia in May 2013 and subsequently extradited to the United States.  He pled guilty in October 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. As part of his plea agreement, Tsai admitted that he had used Trans Multi, among other companies, to continue his exporting business notwithstanding the OFAC designation against him.  He also admitted that he exported machinery and tools relating to weapons of mass destruction, and that these goods were produced in the United States and purchased with U.S. Dollars. After serving a two-year prison sentence, Tsai was deported to Taiwan, where he remains today.

            In his ruling, which was issued on March 29, 2019, Judge Leon agreed that there was no genuine dispute of material fact with respect to the government’s complaint, and that the Court  could “easily conclude” that the funds involved in this suit stemmed from Tsai’s attempts to evade sanctions.  The United States is thus entitled to the funds.

            The FBI’s Chicago Division is investigating the case. Assistant U.S Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Arvind Lal, and Brian Hudak are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick and former Paralegal Specialist Toni Anne Donato, and special assistance from Joshua Stanton, who served as a consultant.

WASHINGTON – LaFonda Lewis, 57, a former supervisory contract oversight specialist with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison for providing non-public information about pending HUD contracts to a business owner in exchange for money, tickets to sporting events, and other things of value.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Reginald O. Sessoms, Special Agent in Charge, Special Investigations Division, HUD Office of Inspector General.

            Lewis, of Lusby, Md., pled guilty in January 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia., to violating the Procurement Integrity Act. She was sentenced by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss. As part of her plea agreement, she is required to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $23,055, representing the value of the gifts and benefits she received. Additionally, following her prison term, she will be placed on two years of supervised release.

            The charge involved Lewis’s dealings with Charles Thomas, the sole owner and president of a company in Maryland that provided technology services to agencies of the federal government and educational services to public school children in the Washington, D.C. area.

            According to a statement of offense signed as part of her plea, between 2012 and 2015, Lewis provided Thomas with non-public information about pending HUD contracts in exchange for Thomas providing her with money, tickets to sporting events, designer handbags, and other items. The information that Lewis provided had not been disclosed publicly and gave Thomas’s company an unfair advantage in competing for contracts.

            In a related prosecution, another former HUD employee, Kevin Jones, pled guilty on March 14, 2019, to a federal bribery charge stemming from a similar scheme in which he provided non-public information about pending HUD contracts to Thomas in exchange for tickets to sporting events, travel, and cash. Jones, 48, of Laurel, Md., was a former contract oversight specialist. He is to be sentenced on June 13, 2019. Jones has agreed to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $50,302, representing the value of the gifts that he received in the scheme.

            Thomas, 45, of Lusby, Md., pled guilty in May 2018 to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and two counts of conspiracy to pay gratuities and violate the Procurement Integrity Act. He is awaiting sentencing. In his plea, Thomas admitted to paying bribes to the two HUD employees as well as to an employee of the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in return for payments on contracts involving that agency.

            The former District of Columbia employee, Shauntell Harley, 49, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced in July 2018 to 56 months in prison for accepting bribes in return for clearing the way for payments to be made to Thomas and another businessman.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Special Agent in Charge Sessoms commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and HUD’s Office of the Inspector General.

            They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Joshua Fein and former Paralegal Specialist Kristy Penny. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas, who is investigating and prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON – Daniel Evans, 21, also known as Daniel Jervan Shaw, pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from a pair of broad daylight robberies carried out within a period of minutes last year at local pharmacies.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Evans, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces an estimated range of 63 to 78 months in prison. The plea agreement also calls for Evans to pay a $4,161 forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Amy Berman Jackson scheduled sentencing for June 14, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, the first robbery took place at about 11:15 a.m. on March 18, 2018. That morning, three heavily-disguised assailants – wearing gloves and surgical-style masks – entered a CVS in the 9500 block of Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, Md. The three went behind the pharmacy counter and demanded Percocet and Promethazine, ordering the pharmacist to open the safe. When the pharmacist did not comply, one of the assailants stunned him with a stun gun, causing him to lose consciousness. Unable to get into the safe, the three took some products from off the shelves and fled the scene.

            The second robbery occurred at about 12:30 p.m., on the same date. This time, four heavily-disguised assailants – wearing masks – entered the Rite Aid in the 5600 block of Georgia Avenue NW in the District of Columbia. One remained at the entrance and brandished a stun gun at customers. The others went behind the pharmacy counter and demanded Percocet, ordering the pharmacist to open the safe. The pharmacist complied and the intruders fled the scene, taking pharmaceutical products, including Oxycodone and Hydrocodone, with them.

            At about 1:35 p.m., a witness called 911 to report seeing an individual get out of a car and throw a bag over the side of the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge and into the Anacostia River. MPD’s harbor unit found the bag as well as another bag inside it. The bags contained empty pharmaceutical pill bottles, discarded latex gloves and surgical-style masks. An employee from Rite Aid identified some of the bottles as having been stolen from the store that day.

            Based on descriptions provided of the car seen at the bridge, MPD officers subsequently identified Evans as the vehicle’s likely owner and executed a search warrant at his residence in Southeast Washington on March 20, 2018. A search of the defendant’s bedroom uncovered a backpack containing $4,161, a hollowed-out VCR containing 12 rounds of ammunition, and plastic bags containing more than 600 tablets of Oxycodone and Hydrocodone. Evans was arrested and has remained in custody ever since. In his guilty plea, Evans acknowledged that he was part of the group that conspired to commit the robberies. No one else has been arrested in the case, and the investigation is continuing.

            At the time of the robberies, Evans was on probation for conspiracy to rob a pharmacy in Maryland.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Carroll, Paralegal Specialist Catherine O’Neal, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney C.B. Buente, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Stephon Jeter, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 63-month prison term on federal charges stemming from his role in a conspiracy to purchase firearms through a straw purchaser in the Atlanta, Ga. region and bring them to the District of Columbia for illegal resale.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

            Jeter pled guilty in January 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiring to illegally traffic in firearms and 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 plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of 63 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. The Honorable Randolph D. Moss accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly.

            The guilty plea followed an investigation by ATF, MPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office into a rash of firearm recoveries in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas in late 2016 and early 2017, all tied to a single straw purchaser in the Atlanta region. To date, approximately 25 firearms have been recovered in the District of Columbia or Maryland that, according to the government’s evidence, were purchased by this straw purchaser and illegally trafficked into the area by members of this conspiracy.

             According to a factual proffer, beginning in or around August 2016 and continuing through mid-January 2017, Jeter conspired with others to illegally deal in firearms, travel in interstate commerce to acquire firearms for resale, and make false statements on firearm purchase forms, among other offenses. Jeter and his cousin, Quran Jeter, illegally obtained firearms from an accomplice in Atlanta. In his guilty plea, Stephon Jeter admitted that he and his cousin brought between 25 and 99 firearms from Georgia to the District of Columbia for resale.

            In his plea, Jeter also admitted that he sold several firearms in the District of Columbia to people he knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, were prohibited from possessing guns because of their criminal records.

            Jeter was arrested on March 9, 2018, and has been in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest in this case, Jeter was barred from possessing a firearm due to a previous conviction in Prince George’s County, Md. for assault.

            Quran Jeter, 20, also of Washington, D.C., pled guilty on Oct. 30, 2018, to conspiring to illegally traffic in firearms. He is to be sentenced on June 12, 2019.

            This case is being investigated by ATF, MPD, and a former Criminal Investigator of the U.S. Attorney’s Office now with the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin L. Rosenberg and William Schurmann of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Katie Cowley.