US Attorney Pirro

Contreras stole from programs created to help people survive the upheaval of the pandemic. When criminals take advantage of a national emergency, they siphon resources from families in genuine need, they undermine public trust, and they make it harder for communities to recover. Today’s sentence reflects that harm and holds her accountable.

As a prosecutor, I have dealt with horrible things for almost four decades, but today stopped me in my tracks. A 33-year-old “man” Georvell Brown took two butcher knives and stabbed a blind pit bull named Queenie in the mouth while the dog was locked in her cage leaving pools of blood. He then took his mom’s yorkie named Prada and repeatedly threw her against the wall. This wasn’t the first time he’s abused the dogs. Unlike the last administration, I charged and convicted him of animal cruelty, but the maximum sentence in D.C. is only one year. That needs to change! And on top of that, Judge Israel only gave him SIX MONTHS‼️‼️ Had we been able to bring this case in federal court, a sentence of up to seven years could be imposed. It's time for D.C. to punish animal cruelty appropriately. How could this judge sentence a violent stabbing of a blind animal, helpless in its cage, cutting her tongue, to six months when we asked for the max?

In three weeks, my office has secured 382 guilty pleas and 11 trial verdicts of guilty. Many of these crimes were committed during the darker days of the District but with every one of these criminals we convict, we make our capital safer. Here are a few of the cases behind those numbers.

This defendant was a member of a violent robbery crew that terrorized pharmacy employees and retail workers from Virginia to Northern New Jersey, showing no regard for the safety of workers or the communities they harmed. Today’s guilty verdict demonstrates that if you’re in a predatory crew you will be identified, prosecuted, and brought to justice.

My job as United States Attorney is to protect this community, especially our children, from repeat offenders who prey on the vulnerable. Over two years, we’ve conducted more than 1,500 compliance checks, including 694 in just the last two months. If you ignore the law, we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you.

This illegal alien was already behind bars for trafficking heroin, yet he used a smuggled cellphone to broker fentanyl and cocaine deals aimed at D.C. streets. Prison walls will not stop us from pursuing traffickers who endanger our communities, and when he finishes his sentence, he will face deportation.

Congratulations to my Scam Center Strike Force team and Superior Court Division Chief who were honored with the 2026 EOUSA Director’s Awards! I am proud to celebrate the exceptional service, public commitment, and relentless pursuit of justice by members of my office.

Methamphetamine destroys lives, fuels crime, and threatens the safety of our communities. As alleged, the defendant distributed large quantities of this dangerous drug while operating businesses in the heart of the District. We are committed to aggressively prosecuting drug traffickers and protecting the District from those who put profit ahead of public safety.

For more than two years, Lemma exploited a position of trust to provide highly classified U.S. government information to a foreign government. In doing so, he betrayed his oath, his colleagues, and his country, while jeopardizing our national security. His guilty plea sends a clear message: those who compromise America’s most sensitive secrets will be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable.

The Paycheck Protection Program was created to save American jobs, not to enrich those who aren’t eligible for taxpayer-funded relief, especially the wife of a U.S. Senator. Strand Book Store, owned by Nancy Bass Wyden, wife of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, received $932,350 in second draw PPP funds despite a federal law barring businesses controlled by a member of Congress or their spouse from receiving those loans. Our Fraud and Asset Recovery Division will expose this abuse, pursue those who exploit taxpayer dollars, and hold them accountable. No one gets a pass when it comes to defrauding the American taxpayer.

Yesterday, I was honored to accept the Architect Award on behalf of the Scam Center Strike Force at the inaugural Disruption Awards. The award recognizes our Joint Disruption Week operation dismantling scam compounds across Southeast Asia and freezing millions of dollars in illicit proceeds. Thank you, Esteban Castaño, Ari Redbord, and TRM Labs. Our fight to protect Americans from transnational criminal scam syndicates is far from over.

Audora Williams was shot more than twenty times with two guns, an act of violence as staggering as it is senseless. The defendant fled, but he did not outrun justice. His capture and return to the District make clear that those who commit this level of brutality will be held to account, and today he is going to prison for it.

Americans are being industrially looted every year by Chinese criminal networks involved in scam centers in Southeast Asia and spreading like a cancer around the world, but we are fighting back.   - More than $1 billion in cryptocurrency seized in one year - 500+ scam sites taken down - Prosecutions underway   This is not just fraud. It’s an attack on American security. We will deploy every tool at our disposal to dismantle these networks and crush their criminal operations.

While Russia was waging war against Ukraine, Yana Leonova was smuggling U.S.-origin aircraft components to a company ultimately blacklisted by the U.S. government. She used shell companies, false documentation, foreign intermediaries, and overseas bank accounts to conceal the unlawful exports and evade U.S. sanctions. But no matter how complex the scheme or how many jurisdictions it crossed, investigators followed the evidence and brought her to justice. Anyone who seeks to exploit U.S. supply chains to support hostile regimes and undermine our national security should take note: we will find you, pursue you across borders, and hold you accountable.

We’re continuing our commitment to prosecuting the dirtbags who are flooding our streets with poison. Over the course of this investigation: 🔺 15 defendants charged
🔺 87+ kilograms of high-purity meth seized
🔺 800+ kilograms of GBL seized in the U.S.
🔺 57+ kilograms of ketamine seized
🔺 1.5 metric tons of GBL seized in South Korea — the largest domestic seizure of a controlled substance in the country’s history Narcotics traffickers who threaten our communities can expect to face serious time in prison, just like these defendants.