Month: October 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Larry Richardson, 71, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for the March 2022 kidnapping and sexual abuse of an acquaintance in Northwest Washington, DC. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On February 7, 2023, Richardson pleaded guilty to one count of attempted first degree sexual abuse and one count of kidnapping in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the seven-year prison term, the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan ordered five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

            According to court documents, on March 30, 2022, the victim and Richardson were walking together in the 1800 block of Columbia Road NW, when the defendant became violent. Video surveillance captured the defendant dragging the victim into an alley, striking her multiple times in the face, and pulling her pants and underwear down to her thighs. As the victim struggled, the defendant alternatively climbed on top of her, struck her in the face with his fist repeatedly, and dragged her deeper into the alley by her arm and legs. When the victim tried to escape, the defendant again struck her in the side of the face.

            When the defendant had pulled the victim to the end of the alley, he pinned her to the ground with his body and repeatedly attempted to penetrate the victim’s vulva with his fingers as the victim tried to resist. Passersby heard the victim screaming and flagged down nearby police officers, who arrested the defendant on scene.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Sourbeer.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON—Charity Keys, 45, of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced today to 12 months in prison for engaging in a scheme – with a co-worker – to defraud the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS). Keys accepted more than $42,500 in kickbacks from a contractor in exchange for directing purchase agreements and orders to the contractor and then falsely certifying that goods that FEMS had paid for had been delivered when, in fact, they had not.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Keys, who was a supply management specialist for FEMS, pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge on July 18, 2022, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered 36 months of supervised release with the first six months on home confinement, restitution in the amount of $257,680, a $42,500 forfeiture money judgment, and 100 hours of community service. Her co-defendant, Louis “Joey” Mitchell, III, was sentenced on September 16, 2022, to 34 months in prison.

            Keys’ responsibilities included procuring office supplies and other goods for the department. According to the court documents, between 2016 and 2020, Keys and Mitchell, 51, who was an FEMS warehouse supply technician, engaged in a bribery scheme with a contractor whose company was an approved vendor for various supplies. Keys and Mitchell solicited and received bribes from the contractor on at least seven occasions. In exchange, Keys and Mitchell directed purchase orders to the contractor’s company and confirmed delivery and payment for goods that the company did not provide. As a result of the bribery scheme, FEMS paid the company approximately $250,000 for goods that never were delivered. Keys personally collected at least $42,500 in bribes from the contractor.

            Law enforcement opened an investigation after FEMS officials discovered procurement anomalies and referred the matter to the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General and the FBI. Mitchell and Keys were arrested on February 10, 2022.

            This case was investigated by FBI’s Washington Field Office and D.C. Office of Inspector General.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Christopher R. Howland in the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights section.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON –Quincy Garvin, 23, Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 36 years in prison for his role in a brazen shooting into a courtyard that took place in September 2017 in the Potomac Gardens area of Southeast Washington. Garvin was found guilty, in July 2022, of conspiracy, first-degree murder while armed, participation in a criminal street gang, and other charges. The sentence was announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            “Violence between crews fuels a number of the homicides we see in the District,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Those thinking of turning petty disputes into deadly shootings need to know that we will hold them accountable for their conduct and face sentences like this one.”

            According to the government’s evidence, between May 2017 and October 2017, the defendant and others were members of a criminal street gang operating in the area of Wellington Park, within Washington, D.C.  Garvin, and others, were involved in a number of “beefs” with individuals from other areas of the city, many of which started as the result of petty feuds among local rival rap groups. 

            At approximately 6 p.m. 0n September 10, 2017, the victim, Carl Hardy, was standing outside in the Potomac Gardens neighborhood as Garvin and three others circled the  neighborhood three times looking for individuals to target. On the fourth trip around the block, the vehicle stopped and the driver paused to allow Garvin and two other men to exit the vehicle armed with multiple weapons, including an assault rifle. Garvin and the two other shooters opened fire on the crowded courtyard, firing over 30 rounds and striking Mr. Hardy.  The group then fled the scene.

            Mr. Hardy, 24, was transported to the hospital where doctors operated multiple times in their efforts to save him.  Ultimately, on Oct. 1, 2017, Mr. Hardy succumbed to his injuries.  Shortly after Mr. Hardy’s death, an arrest warrant was obtained for Garvin charging him with the murder.  A second shooter, Saquan Williams, was also charged and convicted at trial and was sentenced, on September 14, 2023, to 35 years in prison.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Sellinger, Daniel Lenerz, and Sharon Donovan; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; Lead Paralegal Specialists Sharon Newman and Meridith McGarrity; Former Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist; Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Witness Security Specialist Ashli Tolbert; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators LaJune Thames and Maenylie Watson; and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Jackson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Timmer, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Lindsey Merikas who prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Marquette E. Johnson, 42, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 27 years in prison and five years of supervised release for first degree sexual abuse while armed and first degree child sexual abuse while armed.  The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Johnson pleaded guilty on July 11, 2023. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 8:30 a.m. on November 28, 2005, Johnson approached a 12-year-old female child as she was walking to school, drove up to the victim, pointed a semiautomatic pistol or imitation pistol at her, and told her to get in his minivan or he would kill her. The child followed Johnson’s orders and the defendant drove her to an alley behind the 1300 block of Morris Road, SE, where he forced her to get in the back seat and he sexually assaulted her. When the defendant finished raping her, he drove the victim back to the location where he had picked her up and told her something to the effect of, “See, I told you, you wouldn’t miss school.” The child promptly reported what had occurred to a teacher and an MPD officer stationed at the school.

            DNA obtained from the physical evidence in the investigation matched the DNA profile of the defendant, who is a convicted offender. Additional DNA testing determined it was at least 87 quadrillion times more likely if the evidence originated from the defendant and the victim, than if from the victim and an unknown, unrelated individual. The defendant was a stranger to the victim and her family.

            Following his release from prison, Johnson will be mandated to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

            This case was investigated by detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit and Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit, Youth Investigations Division, and detectives and officers from the Seventh District. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Zubrensky and Robert Platt.

            It is another case brought as part of the Cold Case Initiative, an initiative launched in February 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia to reinvestigate previously unsolved cases of sexual assault as well as sexual assault-related homicides. The U.S. Attorney’s Office works in partnership with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, and local law enforcement partners in the DMV area to achieve its mission.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Carson Posey, 24, of Washington, DC, pleaded guilty today to one count of second degree murder while armed for the fatal shooting of Shantal Hill, 28, on April 15, 2020, near the Tyler House Apartments on the south side of 1200 North Capitol Street, Northwest, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police (MPD).

            The plea was entered before Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe who scheduled sentencing for January 19, 2024.

            According to court documents, around 10:48 p.m. on April 15, 2020, Posey shot Hill, his ex-girlfriend, nine times in the legs, buttocks, and chest. Hill identified her assailant to responding police officers while aid was being provided on the scene. Hill also stated, “I [am] a single mother and I can’t die.” She died shortly after midnight on April 16, 2020.

            This case was investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante.