Category: Legal Issues

Source: United States Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – On Oct. 2, the United States transferred approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds of ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. This ammunition had been seized by U.S. Central Command naval forces from a flagless vessel in the Arabian Sea enroute from Iran and destined for Yemen, where sanctioned groups including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directly support the Houthi movement. The Department of Justice then filed a civil forfeiture action against the seized munitions, resulting in a July 20, 2023, order by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia transferring title to the United States.

            “With this weapons transfer, the Justice Department’s forfeiture actions against one authoritarian regime are now directly supporting the Ukrainian people’s fight against another authoritarian regime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to use every legal authority at our disposal to support Ukraine in their fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.”

            “Our office will continue to use all the tools in our arsenal to disrupt the IRGC’s efforts to sow discord,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The transfer of these assets to the Ukrainian armed forces will now aid an important partner in its fight against unwarranted aggression.”

            “The forfeiture and transfer of a major ammunition cache, once destined to serve the Iranian regime’s destabilizing efforts abroad, represents the Justice Department’s commitment to countering authoritarian aggression around the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.  “Together, with partner agencies and departments, we remain steadfast in our mission to ensure the nation’s security by vigorously enforcing U.S. sanctions and imposing costs on hostile regimes in accordance with the rule of law.”

            According to court documents in the civil forfeiture action, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command seized the ammunition and other munitions on or about Dec. 1, 2022.

            The documents alleged a sophisticated scheme by the IRGC to clandestinely ship weapons and munitions to entities contrary to U.S. interests.

            The government’s forfeiture action was part of a larger investigation of an Iranian weapons-smuggling network. The network was involved in the illicit trafficking of advanced conventional weapons systems and components by sanctioned Iranian entities that directly support military action by the Houthi movement in Yemen and the Iranian regime’s campaign of terrorist activities throughout the region.

            The HSI Washington Field Office and the DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office are leading the larger investigation of the Iranian weapons-smuggling network, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in conducting the seizure.

            Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen, Brian P. Hudak, Rajbir S. Datta, and Anna D. Walker for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney S. Derek Shugert of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section litigated the case, with support from Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Angela De Falco.

Source: United States Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge 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.

            Ryan Swoope, 29, of Perry, Ohio, pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden in the District of Columbia. Judge McFadden scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jan. 5, 2024.  

            According to court documents, Swoope and two co-defendants traveled from Ohio to Washington, D.C., to attend a rally at the Ellipse. After the rally, the three walked toward the U.S. Capitol building with a large crowd.

            At 3:08 p.m., Swoope entered the U.S. Capitol through the Senate Wing Door. Upon entry, he saw the broken windows inside the door frame while an alarm sounded. Swoope then walked towards the Crypt and entered the Senate Spouses’ Lobby. While in the lobby, he chanted “Our House” in response to someone chanting “Whose House?”

            A few minutes later, Swoope left through the Senate Wing Door at 3:17 p.m. He continued towards the north side of the Capitol, where he joined a group of rioters at the North Door. Sometime after the Swoope’s arrival, several members of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) and the Metropolitan Police Department retreated into the Capitol through the North Door. As the officers moved into the North Door vestibule, Swoope and several other rioters crowded around the doorway. At 3:52 p.m., Swoope sprayed a canister of chemical irritant into the vestibule, striking a USCP sergeant in the face and blinding the officer for 20 minutes. 

            The FBI arrested Swoope on Nov. 30, 2022, in Mentor, Ohio.

            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 Northern District of Ohio.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Cleveland and Washington Field Offices, which identified Swoope as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) Assault on Federal Officer (AFO) #486 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 Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – Aaron Christopher Davis, 32, of Suitland, Maryland, a registered sex offender, was indicted in U.S. District Court, on October 3, 2023, on charges of distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On August 25, 2023, an FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) Task Force Officer (TFO) was acting in an undercover (UC) capacity as part of the Metropolitan Police Department – Federal Bureau of Investigation (MPD-FBI) Child Exploitation Task Force. The UC was monitoring a dating application  that law enforcement has come to learn is used by some individuals who have a sexual interest in children. The UC encountered the defendant who sent a message believing he was communicating with a pedophile. The defendant expressed a desire to sexually assault the UC’s purported child. He then sent the UC a video showing an adult male anally raping a little boy whose mouth is taped closed and his hands are restrained with handcuffs. As the conversation continued, the defendant expressed a desire to meet up with the UC to watch videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, while they assaulted the UC’s purported son.

            On September 19, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home. During a post-Miranda interview with law enforcement, Davis admitted that he exchanged messages with the UC, and that he distributed child pornography. The defendant told law enforcement that he used other encrypted messaging applications to communicate with individuals who have a sexual interest in children, and to exchange child sexual abuse material.  These communications, and a collection of child pornography, have been discovered on mobile devices belonging to Davis.

            Davis was convicted of possession of child pornography, on October 16, 2017, in Prince George’s County.  He was sentenced to five years imprisonment, but was only required to serve 18 months of that sentence. As a result of this conviction, Davis is required to register as a sex offender.  

            Davis was arrested on September 19, 2023, and he will be detained pending trial.

            Because of Davis’s prior conviction, the distribution of child pornography carries a statutory minimum sentence of 15 years, in prison, with a statutory maximum of 40 years. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Larson, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            An indictment 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 Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – Niko Hall, 31, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday, in Superior Court, to second degree murder while armed in the September 2020 shooting death of Anthony Lee, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Hall is the third and final defendant in the case. Co-defendant Kyrie Wells, 21, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 3, 2023, and was sentenced, on April 13, 2023, to 14 years in prison. On July 6, 2023, a second co-defendant, Darquise Montgomery, 20, of Washington, D.C., also pleaded guilty to second degree murder while armed. Montgomery and Hall will be sentenced on November 27, 2023.  

             According to the government’s evidence, just before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, Anthony Lee, 25, of Washington, D.C., was walking south on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. with a companion. The three defendants lined up across the sidewalk behind him. As Mr. Lee crossed Malcolm X Avenue, Hall, Wells, and Montgomery drew their handguns and opened fire, hitting Mr. Lee once in the back, and killing him.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter V. Roman and Jessica Keefer and Deputy Chief Laura Bach, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON — A New Jersey man was sentenced today on a felony charge for assaulting a law enforcement officer 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.

            Salvatore Vassallo, 60, of Toms River, N.J., was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers. He pleaded guilty on May 11, 2023.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Vassallo illegally entered the Capitol grounds. He then hopped over a rail and joined a mob that was confronting law enforcement officers on the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol, near the Senate Wing Door and the Senate Fire Door. At approximately 4:26 p.m., Vassallo emerged from the crowd and faced a line of police officers. Several seconds later, he abruptly charged at an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who was in the process of assisting other officers. Vassallo grabbed and pushed the officer with what appeared to be a significant amount of force. Moments later, he departed from that area.

            This case was 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 District of New Jersey.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Vassallo as #338 on its seeking information photos, and the FBI’s Newark Field Office. 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 398 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 Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – Ravel Mills, 29, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury yesterday of second-degree murder while armed and other charges in the April 2020 fatal shooting of 28-year-old Toussaunt Tarquann Strong in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Mills was also found guilty of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and carrying a pistol without a license. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael K. O’Keefe will sentence Mills on January 12, 2024. Mills faces a statutory maximum penalty of up to 55 years in prison for both crimes. Under the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, however, his sentencing range for the second-degree murder while armed is 12 to 24 years in prison.

            According to the evidence presented at trial, shortly before 7:00 pm on April 18, 2020, Toussaunt Strong was outside his father’s home in the Shipley Terrace neighborhood. Mills encountered Mr. Strong after Mills exited a nearby home and then pointed a weapon at Mr. Strong. In response, Mr. Strong fled. Mills then chased Mr. Strong up the 3400 block of 24th Street SE. As Mills got closer to Mr. Strong, Mills pulled his jacket hood over his head, pointed his gun, and shot Mr. Strong multiple times. Video cameras captured the chase, however, the shooting itself was not captured on camera nor were there any eyewitnesses to the murder. The Government presented video surveillance, circumstantial, and motive evidence in securing the conviction.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including: Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Donovan; Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Korba who investigated and indicted the case; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miles Janssen and Andrea Antonelli who prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General 4

            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. He and others helped to disrupt a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to count the electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election.

            John Anthony Schubert III, 47, of Bradenton, Florida, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, Schubert is charged with several misdemeanors, including knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in any of the Capitol buildings.

            Schubert was arrested today in Bradenton and will make his initial appearance in the Middle District of Florida.

            According to court documents, on Jan 6. 2021, Schubert was part of the initial breach of police barricades at approximately 12:53 p.m. at the Peace Circle on Pennsylvania Avenue NW and First Street NW. Specifically, Schubert pushed past the police barriers and appeared to encourage other rioters to do the same. From the Peace Circle, Schubert continued towards the Capitol and confronted police officers near the stage erected for the inauguration. Here, Schubert approached the officers, pushed back against the police lines, and threw a punch at one officer. Schubert was then sprayed with a chemical irritant.

            Later, Schubert was identified illegally entered the Capitol building at 2:21 p.m. via a broken window next to the Senate Wing doors. Once inside, Schubert turned to help his parents – Amy and John Schubert, Jr., both previously sentenced – enter the Capitol through the same broken window at approximately 2:22 p.m. Closed Cricut Television (CCTV) footage shows Schubert walking to various locations through the Capitol, including the Rotunda and Statuary Hall before reaching the Upper House Door area. Schubert remained in that area for approximately ten minutes and exited the building through the East Front House door at approximately 2:56 p.m.

            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 Middle District of Florida.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Tampa and Washington Field Offices, which identified Schubert as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #345 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 398 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.fib.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.

Source: United States Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – An Illinois man was sentenced today on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer and a media member during the U.S. Capitol breach 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.

            Shane Jason Woods, 45, of Auburn, Illinois, was sentenced to 54 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. Woods pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2022, in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and striking, beating, or wounding a person within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, both felonies. 

            According to court documents and video evidence presented at sentencing, on Jan. 6, 2021, Woods was among those illegally on the Capitol grounds, joining a mob in the northwestern lawn.  At approximately 2:10 p.m., an individual in the crowd sprayed a United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer in the face with a chemical irritant at point-blank range and then ran away. The officer gave chase. As the officer pursued the suspect, Woods—who was standing to the officer’s side and outweighed the officer by over 100 pounds—lowered his shoulder, took several steps, and rammed into the officer, blindsiding them, knocking the officer off of their feet, and sending them flying into a downed metal bicycle barricade. The officer felt immediate pain. The next day, Woods’ assault left the officer feeling as if they had been “hit by a truck.”

            Just over two hours later, Woods gathered with numerous other rioters just outside the media staging area on the northeast side of the Capitol lawn. After spending a few minutes verbally harassing the reporters, camera operators, and technicians gathered there, Woods and several other rioters climbed over the metal barricades separating the media from the mob.

            Woods then walked around some of the piled media equipment that had been destroyed or was in the process of being destroyed by other rioters and kicked some of it himself. Woods then harassed and circled a camera operator. When the camera operator attempted to walk away, Woods followed them and bumped them with his shoulder. The camera operator continued walking away, trying to leave. Woods then took a running start and hit the operator with a blindside shoulder tackle, sending the operator crashing to the ground and causing them to drop the camera.

            Woods was arrested June 24, 2021, in Springfield, Illinois.

            The case was 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 Offices for the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of Illinois.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Woods as #238 in its seeking information photos, as well as the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Field Office. Valuable assistance has been 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 398 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 Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – A Washington state man was found guilty in the District of Columbia on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, of seven charges related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. 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.

            Marc Anthony Bru, 43, of Vancouver, Washington, was found guilty of all charges against him following a bench trial before U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg. Judge Boasberg found Bru guilty of two felonies, including obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Bru was convicted of five misdemeanor charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; entering and remaining in a gallery of Congress; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Bru—a member of the “Proud Boys” organization—marched with a group of approximately 20 other “Proud Boys” to the U.S. Capitol. As he approached the Capitol, Bru trampled over the downed barricades at the Peace Circle and then entered the Capitol’s West Plaza, where he angrily confronted riot gear-clad police officers attempting to hold the mob at bay.

            When police officers tried to use bicycle rack barricades to force the rioters backward, Bru charged the barricades, grabbed one, and used his entire body weight to prevent the police from moving it forward. An officer tried to spray Bru with a chemical irritant to get him to let go, but Bru ducked and avoided it, leading another officer to force Bru to retreat. Later, despite the blaring alarm, Bru entered the Capitol through an emergency exit and made his way to the recently evacuated Senate chamber, where he took celebratory pictures in the gallery. Approximately seven weeks later, Bru sent an encrypted message to an aspiring “Proud Boy” in which Bru detailed his plans to conduct an armed insurrection against the Oregon state government, modeled on the January 6 Capitol riot.

            Bru was arrested on March 30, 2021, in Vancouver, Washington.

            Bru is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2024.

            All charges carry 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 the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Washington and the Middle District of Florida.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Seattle and Washington Field Offices. 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 398 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 Attorneys General 4

            WASHINGTON – Arraignments were held today for four alleged members of a drug trafficking conspiracy. Jorge Cruz Maldonado, Francisco Alexander Rosales Diaz, Erik Rivera Garcia, and Vladimir Roque Ceron are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

            The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Field Division.

            Cruz Maldonado also is charged with unlawful distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine; Cruz Maldonado, Rosales Diaz, and Rivera Garcia are charged with unlawful possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; Rivera Garcia also is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. Rosales Diaz additionally is charged with unlawful possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.

            According to court documents, on or about Aug. 18, 2023, Cruz Maldonado, Rivera Garcia, and Rosales Diaz arrived in a vehicle at the parking lot of a shopping center in Northeast Washington, DC to conduct a drug deal. Shortly after, DEA agents approached all three individuals in their car and detained them. Inside the vehicle, DEA agents discovered and seized a loaded .38 caliber revolver, a loaded 9mm handgun, numerous rounds of ammunition for each firearm, an extended magazine, and approximately 3.6 kilograms of cocaine powder.

            It is further alleged that between March and June 2023, through five transactions in Hyattsville, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., Roque Ceron sold a total of approximately 111 pills containing fentanyl and 197 grams of cocaine powder for $8,250; and, through two transactions between June and August 2023 in Washington, DC, Cruz Maldonado sold a total of approximately 581 grams of cocaine powder for $16,000. It is further alleged that Cruz Maldonado is Roque Ceron’s supplier of fentanyl and cocaine, and that together with Rosales Diaz and Rivera Garcia, they are engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.

            Cruz Maldonado, Rosales Diaz, and Rivera Garcia were arrested on Aug. 18, 2023, and remain detained; Roque Ceron was arrested on August 20, 2023, and remains detained.  

            The maximum statutory sentence for the drug conspiracy charge is 40 years; the maximum statutory sentence for distributing or possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine is 40 years; the maximum statutory sentence for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense is life imprisonment; and the maximum statutory sentence for possessing a firearm and/or ammunition by a prohibited person is 15 years. All statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes.  If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Field Division with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Washington Enforcement and Removal Operations) and the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Javier Urbina and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Marin with the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.