The Priorities of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia:

Priorities

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia serves to protect the United States and its citizens, to promote our national security and prevent terrorism, to improve the quality of life in our community through the protection of civil rights, and to safeguard the financial assets of the United States and its citizens.  Coordination and outreach with law enforcement, government agencies, and community stakeholders are invaluable tools that assist the Eastern District in fulfilling these important goals. 

Terrorism and National Security

Protecting our national security remains the Department of Justice’s highest priority, and the Eastern District leads the nation in the prosecution of significant terrorism and espionage cases.

The U.S. Attorney chairs the District’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Councils, which over the years have developed into close partnerships among local, state, and federal agents who work together to detect, disrupt, and deter threats to national security.

Significant cases:

• Zacarias Moussaoui: Sentenced in May 2006 to spend the rest of his life in prison for his role in the al Qaeda 9/11 conspiracy - a horrific crime in which 2,972 innocent men, women and children were murdered and thousands more injured. 

• Iyman Faris: Conspired with al Qaeda in a plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October 2003.

• Ahmed Omar Abu Ali: Convicted in November 2005 of joining an al Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia and plotting to assassinate the President of the United States and members of Congress and to destroy commercial airliners. He was sentenced to life in prison.

• Farooque Ahmed: Sentenced to 23 years in prison in April 2011 for assisting others whom he believed to be members of al-Qaeda to bomb Metrorail stations in the Washington, D.C., area.

• Glenn Duffie Shriver: Pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to provide national defense information to intelligence officers of the People’s Republic of China. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison in January 2011.

• Somali Pirates: Dozens of Somali pirates have been prosecuted for their roles in attacks against American vessels on the high seas. In April 2011, the Eastern District of Virginia set a new first in piracy prosecutions by capturing and charging an alleged pirate in a leadership role – Mohammad Saaili Shibin, a hostage negotiator in Somalia.

Financial Fraud

In light of the recent economic crisis, prosecuting financial crimes is a top priority for the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Financial crimes have depleted people’s savings, siphoned taxpayer dollars, deprived Americans of jobs, and impeded our ongoing economic recovery.  Holding those who commit these crimes accountable is critical to protecting Americans and our economy.   

To meet today’s challenges, the Eastern District is particularly focused on bank, securities and mortgage fraud.

Significant cases:

• Lee Farkas: The chairman of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker was sentenced to 30 years in prison in April 2011 for pulling off one of the largest bank frauds in history. The $2.9 billion fraud scheme contributed to the failure of TBW, one of the top privately held mortgage lending companies in the U.S., and Colonial Bank, one of the 25 largest banks in the U.S.

• A&O: Two principals of A&O Resource Management Ltd. were sentenced in September 2011 to 45 and 60 years in prison for their roles in a $100 million life settlement fraud scheme that included more than 800 victims across the United States and Canada.

• Edward Okun: The owner of 1031 Tax Group LLP was sentenced to 100 years in prison in August 2009 for defrauding clients of $132 million.

• Alan James Watson: The chief executive officer for a 750-member investment club fraudulently solicited and accepted $40 million and lost nearly all of it through non-disclosed, high-risk investments. 

• Phillip Offill: A former attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was sentenced to 96 months in prison in April 2010 for participating in multi-million dollar pump-and-dump stock manipulation schemes.  

• Donald Johnson: A former managing director of the NASDAQ Stock Market, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for in August 2011 for engaging in insider trading on multiple occasions based on material, non-public information he obtained in his capacity as a NASDAQ executive.   

Violent Crime, Gang Crime and Drug Trafficking

Regional street gangs are becoming increasingly involved with violent national and international criminal organizations and drug trafficking organizations. The Eastern District has a broad array of targeted, intelligence-driven programs aimed at reducing the interrelated threats of violent crime and drug trafficking as well as disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations.  

Through initiatives that include Project Exile, Project Safe Neighborhoods, and various dedicated task forces, the U.S. Attorney’s Office targets violent criminals who threaten the District and uses tough federal sentences to keep them off the streets.

Significant cases:

• Dump Squad: Crime dropped by 44 percent in 2009 when the members of a violent gang were arrested in Newport News, Va. Through two rounds of indictments, 19 gang members were convicted, with the leaders receiving life sentences.

• MS-13: Dozens of gang members associated with MS-13 have been prosecuted for murders, assaults, and other activities as part of a dedicated, long-term strategy to eradicate the violent gang from Northern Virginia.

• Bounty Hunter Bloods/Nine Tech Gangsters: Two gangs in Portsmouth, Suffolk and Chesapeake joined forces to increase their influence and their ability to make money. They achieved both through murder, narcotics trafficking, and armed home invasions. The leaders and violent members were all convicted in 2010 and 2011.

Crimes Against Children

Since launching Project Safe Childhood in 2006, the Department of Justice has placed special emphasis on combating the dangers facing children. These efforts include prosecuting individuals who exploit children as well as identifying and rescuing victims.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia consistently ranks among the top in the nation for prosecuting child exploitation cases, placing priority on cases involving predators who produce child pornography, sex trafficking of minors, those who attempt to meet minors for illegal sexual contact, and other forms of child sexual exploitation.

Significant cases:

• Kevin Ricks: A former school teacher in Manassas, Va., admitted to engaging in and taking photos and videos of illegal sexual contact with minor boys dating back more than three decades. In May 2011, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
• Alan Paul Strieper: Sentenced to 35 years in prison in September 2010 for planning to kidnap and rape a child as young as two years old.
• Jose Ciro Juarez-Santamaria: A leader of MS-13 was convicted of prostituting a 12-year-old female with clients throughout northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. He was sentenced to life in prison in October 2011.

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