Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – A Tennessee man pleaded guilty today to one felony and one misdemeanor 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 2020 presidential election.

            Ronald Colton McAbee, 29, of Unionville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer and a misdemeanor charge of act of physical violence on the Capitol grounds before U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras in the District of Columbia.

            Judge Contreras scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 29, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. McAbee will proceed to trial on Oct. 2, 2023, on the other charges filed against him. McAbee was charged in a superseding indictment on Nov. 12, 2021, for his actions on January 6th. 

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, after a crowd of rioters had breached barricades surrounding the Capitol, McAbee and others made their way to the Lower West Terrace Archway, where a group of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) offices had formed a police line to prevent rioters from entering the building.

            At about 4:20 p.m., hundreds of individuals had gathered outside the Archway, some throwing and/or swinging various makeshift weapons at the group of law enforcement officers. At about 4:27 p.m., an MPD officer, who was positioned toward the opening of the Archway, was knocked to the ground, kicked, and stripped of his baton. At this time, McAbee was positioned on the south side of the Archway and was able to observe the assault.

            A second MPD officer then stepped off the police line to assist the downed officer. McAbee witnessed this, yelled at the officer who had arrived to assist, and swung his arms and hands toward the officer’s head and torso. Court documents say that McAbee made contact with the officer and was wearing reinforced knuckle gloves at the time of the assault.

            McAbee was arrested on Aug. 17, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee.

            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 and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Memphis Field Offices, which identified McAbee as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #134 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 396 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. 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

Charles F. McGonigal Admits Receiving $225,000 Cash Payment

            WASHINGTON – Charles F. McGonigal, 55, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, pleaded guilty today to concealment of material facts for his undisclosed receipt of $225,000 in cash from an individual who had business interests in Europe while McGonigal was supervising counterintelligence efforts. The plea was accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who scheduled sentencing for February 16, 2024.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office Donald Alway, and Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office David Sundberg.

            According to papers filed with the Court, from August 2017, and continuing through his retirement from the FBI in September 2018, McGonigal concealed from the FBI the nature of his relationship with a former foreign security officer and businessperson who had ongoing business interests in foreign countries and before foreign governments. Specifically, McGonigal received at least $225,000 in cash from the individual and traveled abroad with the individual and met with foreign nationals. The individual later served as an FBI source in a criminal investigation involving foreign political lobbying over which McGonigal had official supervisory responsibility.

            The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The court will determine the actual sentence based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Stuart D. Allen, and former Assistant United States Attorney Michael Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Deputy Chief Evan N. Turgeon of the DOJ’s National Security Division Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – A New York man was sentenced today on two felony charges 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 2020 presidential election.

            Jonathan J. Munafo, 36, of Albany, New York, was sentenced today by U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to 33 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

            Munafo pleaded guilty to two felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and civil disorder on April 21, 2023.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Munafo arrived at the U.S. Capitol building grounds in Washington, D.C., along with a large group of protestors that had made their way toward the building following the former President’s speech at the Ellipse. Munafo then made his way to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel and pushed and cajoled his way inside at about 2:57 p.m. Munafo exited the Tunnel but then reappeared with a gas mask and made his way to the front of the line of rioters.

            Munafo then left the Tunnel and moved to an area just south. From there, he saw members of the mob steal a shield away from police and cheered along with other rioters. Munafo then made several attempts to scale the wall of the Capitol building next to the Tunnel. He used two different poles to strike the window of a Capitol office approximately 13 times. Munafo often looked back at the crowd, shouting, chanting, and attempting to rile up the other rioters.  

            Later, at about 3:21 p.m., Munafo punched a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officer twice while attempting to rip the officer’s riot shield away. The second punch from Munafo appears to have caused the officer’s head to snap back. Munafo then took the officer’s riot shield and slunk away into the crowd, leaving the officer without a shield and vulnerable to attacks from other rioters.

            Munafo was arrested on April 26, 2021, in Orlando, Florida.

            The 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 Middle District of Florida, where Munafo was arrested.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Jacksonville and Washington Field Offices, who listed Munafo as Assault on a Federal Officer (AFO) #170 in their seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 396 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. 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 – Hachikosela Muchimba, 43, of Washington, D.C., was charged by criminal complaint with mail theft and bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Imari Niles, of the U.S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General Trevor R. Nelson, of the Department of Treasury-Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.

            According to the criminal complaint, between October 2021 and March 2023,  Muchimba, an employee of the U.S. Postal Service, executed a scheme to steal checks from the U.S. mail and direct those funds into a bank account under his control. Muchimba would remove the name of the proper payee and replace it with his own name. Many of these misappropriated checks were U.S. Treasury checks.  He is seen on bank surveillance removing the proceeds from ATM machines. The total amount of the checks that were fraudulently deposited into Muchimba’s accounts was $1,697,909.52. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Muchimba’s personal residence on March 29, 2023. In the course of that search, law enforcement recovered an ATM receipt that reflected a deposit of a U.S. Treasury Check in the amount of $415,173.53.

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

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

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

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

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint, unsealed today, charges Raul Rivero, a/k/a Guillermo Raul DeRivero, 54, of Arlington, Virginia, and Dusan Dimic, 40, of Reston, Virginia, with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            When DEA Agents arrested Rivero and Dimic last night, they also confiscated a total of 573 grams of cocaine, 90 grams of methamphetamine pills, and more than $4,400 in cash. Search warrants that were subsequently executed at residences affiliated with the defendants resulted in the seizure of approximately 3 kilograms of cocaine and more than $100,000 cash.

            According to court documents, between August 18, 2022, and August 10, 2023, through undercover controlled purchases, DEA agents made 14 controlled buys totaling approximately 367 grams of cocaine from Rivero in Washington, D.C. The drugs were allegedly delivered as part of a delivery service in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., using various cars, including rental cars and rideshare services.

            If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years, each, for conspiracy and distribution of cocaine. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. A defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division and the MPD.  It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Marin and David Henek, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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