Month: August 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Haider Ali, 36, of Springfield, Virginia, was sentenced today to 68 months in prison for his role in a fraud conspiracy that included bank fraud and the impersonation of federal law enforcement, in a scheme that bilked more than $750,000 from his victims. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Emily Odom, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, with the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

            According to court documents, Ali and his co-conspirator, Arian Taherzadeh, 40, of Washington, D.C., impersonated federal officers, using fake identification to rent luxury apartments and cheat the owners out of rent, and to ingratiate themselves with legitimate members of law enforcement. Ali pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, on October 5, 2022, to the federal charges of conspiracy and bank fraud, and to the unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, a District of Columbia offense. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $757,922.66.

            “Deceptions like this do grave damage to the actual agents and officers who are on the street, dealing with the public whose trust is critical to their safety and success,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Fortunately, our law enforcement partners moved quickly to stop this defendant, expose his scam, and uncover his million-dollar bank fraud. As this sentence shows, impersonating a member of law enforcement is a serious offense. Those who pretend for the sake of exerting unlawful authority over the public, or for their own financial gain, will face significant consequences.”

            “Impersonating federal officers is a serious crime. Ali used fake law enforcement credentials to cheat people out of money to fuel his greed and perpetuate his fake persona,” said Emily Odom, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. “Thanks to collaborative efforts with our law enforcement partners, we were able to quickly and effectively dismantle this sophisticated scheme, which not only degraded the operations of real law enforcement but also endangered the safety of the public.”

            According to court documents, Ali and Taherzadeh operated a business called United States Special Police LLC (USSP), which was described as a private law enforcement, investigative, and protective services company, based in Washington. The two men represented themselves to law enforcement as investigators and/or special agents, claiming an affiliation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which was, in fact, not true. The company was not associated in any way with the United States government or the District of Columbia and had never done business with the federal or D.C. governments.

            As the scheme unfolded, Ali falsely claimed at various times that he was a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and/or the U.S. Secret Service. He also falsely claimed that he participated in the capture of the wife of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, that his family had a royal bloodline, and that he had a connection to a senior official in the Pakistani Intelligence Service. Taherzadeh, meanwhile, falsely claimed to be, among other things, a Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security, a member of a multi-jurisdictional federal task force, a former United States Air Marshal, and a former Army Ranger.

            Both men used these false claims to recruit others to join their “task force” or “unit,” which these individuals believed to be part of DHS and federal law enforcement. In furtherance of the scheme, Ali and Taherzadeh ingratiated themselves with employees of the U.S. Secret Service because it provided them with cover and aided in their scheme.

            Ali and Taherzadeh used their assumed law enforcement personas and the business to maintain leases for multiple apartments and parking spaces for supposed law enforcement operations at a luxury apartment complex in Southeast Washington. These units included a penthouse where Ali and Taherzadeh possessed, among other things, a Glock handgun registered to Ali that was loaded with a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, surveillance equipment, law enforcement tactical gear and a machine capable of programming Personal Identification Verification (PIV) cards used to create false credentials. They also used their false identification with law enforcement to obtain security footage in the building, as well as a list of the building’s residents, as well as their apartment numbers and contact information.

            Throughout their tenancy, no rent was paid on the leased apartments or parking garage. This resulted in a loss to the building of $295,277, and to the garage of $7,854.

            Additionally, according to the plea documents, beginning as early as May 2017 and continuing through March 2021, Ali engaged in a bank fraud scheme in which he generated more than $1 million in gross receipts from one or more financial institutions. He used bank accounts that he and others maintained and controlled to falsely and fraudulently execute debit and credit card transactions.

            Ali and Taherzadeh were arrested on April 6, 2022. Taherzadeh pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2022, to a federal conspiracy offense and two District of Columbia offenses: unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device and voyeurism. Taherzadeh is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1, 2023.

            Following the pronouncement of the sentence, Ali was ordered remanded to begin his sentence effective immediately.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Joshua S. Rothstein of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.

            Valuable assistance has been provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tortorice and Paralegal Specialists Quiana Dunn-Gordon, and Lisa Abbe and former Paralegal Specialist Chad Byron of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Kathleen Campbell and Evan Turgeon of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – An Ohio man was found guilty in the District of Columbia today on one felony count and one misdemeanor count for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach during a stipulated bench trial. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Ethan C. Seitz, 34, of Sandusky, Ohio, was convicted of one charge of obstructing an official proceeding and a charge of disorderly or disruptive behavior in a restricted building. The stipulated trial was held before U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

            According to the government’s stipulated evidence, Seitz was among rioters in a mob that illegally entered the Capitol grounds and Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021.

            On Jan. 5, 2021, Seitz traveled by himself to Washington, D.C., because he believed the 2020 Presidential Election had been stolen and that former President Trump was the rightful victor.

            Before leaving on his trip, he texted a family member on January 2 that “I’m leaving on the 5th and going to DC. I’ll be back on the 7th. Pray hard that I have a safe and successful trip please.”

           He texted a second family member that “Trump personally has asked goes [sic] this fight the election fraud!” In a second text, he explained his thinking: [W]e are both convinced there is a war going on. With the deep state. But also a war between Good and Evil. And we had a conversation about the possibilities of what could happen if things we think come true. And also putting on the armor of God and fighting. And regardless of what is happening I feel like this is my first time to really stand up. … I have high hopes in the great awakening. But things could get way worse. And way fast. I take a stand now if only for the experience of it. Cause I’m a stand firm [sic] on the belief that the time is very quickly approaching when good men are gonna have to do bad things. Because it’s war.

            Consistent with his plans, Seitz attended the rally in support of the former president and then marched to the Capitol with the crowd and joined the riot..

            In a series of Facebook messages, Seitz described his participation in real-time. At 2:06 p.m. he wrote, “Cops blocking Capitol they just threw tear gas.” At 2:25 p.m., Seitz wrote, “I’m goin in the capitol.” Slightly less than two minutes later, Seitz entered the Capitol through a broken window next to the Senate Wing Door and wrote on Facebook, “I just climbed in through a broken window.”

           Inside the Capitol, Seitz wrote that he was hit multiple times with pepper spray and tear gas multiple times. “I had to climb back out I couldnt breath,” he posted. At 2:55 p.m., Seitz wrote he had climbed out a smashed-out window near the Senate Wing Door.

            By 4:28 p.m., Seitz was among a group of rioters being pushed back by police outside the west side of the Capitol Building. While being pushed back by an officer, Seitz grasped an officer’s baton.

          In an interview given that evening, Seitz stated he was part of a group that rushed in and “made it to the other side of the building” before encountering a locked and barricaded door. Once Seitz’s group had amassed enough people, “we pushed through and let the other side in.” He said: “we’re here because we care about the integrity of the election and Donald Trump won this election.”

           In another Facebook message that evening, Seitz wrote that he “didnt expect to be on the frontline storming the capitol and taking the building lol.”

           On March 19, 2021, Seitz was arrested in Bucyrus, Ohio.

           Seitz is to be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2024. The felony obstruction charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

           The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio and the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.

           The case was investigated by the FBI’s Cleveland Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

           In the 31 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 372 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

           Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON — A Florida man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement, related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Bryan Roger Bishop, 51, of Marathon, Florida, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly and dangerous weapon, both felony offenses. In addition to the felonies, Bishop is charged with various misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and engaging in an act of physical violence on Capitol grounds or buildings.

            Bryan Bishop was arrested on Aug. 7, 2023, and will make his initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida today. Authorities also arrested Tonya Bishop, 47, of Marathon, Florida, on misdemeanor charges related to her actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Tonya Bishop will make her initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida today as well. Bryan and Tonya Bishop are a married couple.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 2:00 p.m., rioters at the U.S. Capitol building breached various barriers that had been erected on the west side of the building and were attempting to overwhelm police officers in the area. At approximately 2:02 p.m., a man, later identified as Bryan Bishop, wearing an olive-colored beanie, tan neck gaiter over his face, and outer grey jacket with an orange interior, emerged from the crowd of rioters and aimed a red colored device at the line of officers, assaulting the law enforcement officers by spraying them with an orange-colored chemical irritant.

            Additional video footage from that day depicts the incident from another angle. In this video, a man, later identified as Bishop, can be seen spraying two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers in the face with a chemical substance. After spraying the first officer directly in the face, Bishop then sprayed the second officer in the face shield and then aimed the device at an upward angle to spray under the officer’s face shield and directly into the face.

            Law enforcement authorities also conducted a review of CCTV taken footage from inside the U.S. Capitol building and identified Bishop as he entered at approximately 2:39 p.m. Bishop is then seen walking amongst various rooms, including the Rotunda, Statuary Hall, and Statuary Hall Connector. While inside the Capitol, Bishop spoke with various individuals, appearing to ask for directions on several occasions. Bishop then exited the Capitol at approximately 2:56 p.m. through the East Rotunda Doors.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami, San Antonio, and Washington Field Offices, which identified Bishop as BOLO (“Be On the Look Out”) #466 on its seeking information photos.

            Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the U.S. Coast Guard.

            In the 31 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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