Washington Field Division
Photo used under Creative Commons from Wikimedia user Andrew Bossi
Welcome to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division. Our Division is responsible for ATF criminal enforcement and industry regulatory activities in the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and seven counties in the panhandle of West Virginia. Our dedicated work force is comprised of special agents, investigators, auditors, technicians and support staff.
ATF is committed to reducing violent crime in our neighborhoods. ATF’s Washington Field Division special agents combat firearms violence by focusing their investigative efforts on armed violent offenders, career criminals, gun traffickers, gangs and tobacco diversion. The Washington Field Division is home to one of the most successful Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) teams in the country. Our VCIT team is based in Richmond Virginia, and ATF Special Agents work side by side with the Richmond Police Department and Virginia State Police to put the “worst of the worst” in jail so the citizens of Richmond can enjoy their community and neighborhoods.
Explosives and arson enforcement is an integral part of ATF’s overall violent crime reduction strategy. ATF’s Washington Field Division special agents combat arson and explosives-related crimes by conducting independent investigations and by working in partnership with local and state fire investigators and police bomb squads. In the District of Columbia ATF has formed an arson task force with the Metropolitan Police Department and the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department that responds to fires where there are injuries or fatalities.
ATF also has the duty of regulating the firearms and explosives industries. Our industry operations investigators work to ensure that all firearms and explosives are stored, handled and sold in a safe manner according to law.
We encourage all residents to get involved and assist us in our goal of reducing crime in our communities. Give us a call and let us know what we can do for you. Our phone number is (202) 648-8010.
Dan Kumor
Division Management Team
- Dan Kumor
- Acting Special Agent In Charge (SAC)
- Richard Marianos
- Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC)
- Willie Brownlee
- Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC)
- Gary Bangs
- Director of Industry Operations (DIO)
- Michael D. Campbell
- Public Information Officer (PIO)
Division Contact Information
Receive Washington Press Release Updates
Eleven Men Arrested for Cocaine, Firearms Trafficking in Manassas, Fairfax County
December 1, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eleven men were arrested yesterday as part of an ongoing, three-year investigation of interconnected cocaine and firearm distributors largely operating out of Manassas and Fairfax County, Va. To date, more than 60 individuals have been charged since the operation’s inception in 2009.More »
Alexandria Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Victim at Gunpoint After iPhone Sale Ad
November 16, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Deshawn Derr, 25, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty today to robbing a victim at gunpoint of $2,500 in cash, after the man arrived at a pre–arranged location responding to an advertisement placed on Craigslist.org purporting to sell Apple iPhones.More »
District Man Pleads Guilty to Series of Arsons in Densely Populated City Neighborhoods
November 4, 2011
WASHINGTON — Maurice Dews, 27, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to five counts of arson and other charges for starting a series of fires in the District of Columbia over a period of 3 ½ years that ended with his arrest last summer.More »
Members of Cigarette Trafficking Conspiracy Indicted
November 3, 2011
HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA — A Federal Grand Jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Harrisonburg has indicted dozens of individuals for conspiring to traffic in contraband cigarettes, money laundering and a variety of related charges.More »
Wise County Resident Sentenced to 210 Months Imprisonment for Oxycontin Distribution
September 27, 2011
ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy announced today that Stephen Riggs, 36, of Big Stone Gap, Va. was sentenced in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to serve more than seventeen years in prison for his involvement in drug distribution in Southwest Virginia.More »
Six Men Sentenced for Attempted Armed Robbery
July 22, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Six men from Philadelphia have been sentenced to as much as 30 years in prison for conspiring to conduct an armed home invasion robbery of a drug stash house in Fairfax County.More »
ATF/NOBLE Honor First African American Federal Law Enforcement Officer Killed in Line of Duty – 128 Years after Death
July 18, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today posthumously presented its Gold Star Medal to William Henderson Foote, the first African American federal law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty. Foote, who served as a post–Reconstruction Era deputy collector with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), an ATF legacy agency, was honored during the annual conference of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) in Lexington, Ky., 128 years after his death. ATF’s Acting Director Kenneth Melson, NOBLE’s Executive Director Jessie Lee, and members of the Foote family were in attendance. Foote’s grandniece, Dr. Bettye Gardner, a professor of African American history at Coppin State University, Baltimore, accepted the award.More »
Group Indicted for Contraband Cigarette Trafficking
July 14, 2011
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA — The owner of a Citgo gas station in Fredericksburg, Va, two of his employees and a man from the Bronx, N.Y., were indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville this week on charges related to an alleged contraband cigarette conspiracy they organized.More »
ATF Graduates Hart Middle School Students and Marks 20th Anniversary of DOJ G.R.E.A.T. Program
June 3, 2011
WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Hart Middle School today announced the graduation of 40 Hart Middle School students from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Gang Resistance Education And Training, G.R.E.A.T..,
program as the program marks its 20th anniversary. ATF Acting Assistant Director Audrey Stucko, Office of Human Resources and Professional Development; Hart Principal Billy Kearney; Assistant Chief Rodney Parks, Metropolitan Police Department; the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and others provided remarks.More »
Houser and NTC Team Named Finalist for Heyman Service to America Medal
May 10, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC — ATF National Tracing Center Chief Charles Houser and the NTC team was named one of 34 finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal winners at the Partnership for Public Service breakfast on Capitol Hill May 5. The finalists were honored during the May 1–7 Public Service Recognition Week by the Partnership for Public Service in celebrating excellence in our federal civil service.More »
ATF Washington Field Division Releases Mid-Year Significant Investigations
April 29, 2011
WASHINGTON – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Rich Marianos released a list of the top investigations undertaken during the first half of fiscal year 2011 (October 1, 2010-March 31, 2011) Friday. The Washington Field Division covers Washington DC, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and seven counties in the panhandle of West Virginia.More »
Newport News Man Convicted of Murdering Hardee’s Employee
April 20, 2011
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Anthony Lee Wainwright, 26, of Newport News, Va., was convicted by a federal jury of murdering an employee of a Newport News Hardee’s restaurant during an armed robbery. Two conspirators – Henry Lee Stapleton, 24, and Michael Johnson Jr., 23, — previously pled guilty to their roles in the robbery and fatal shooting.More »
Outlaws Motorcycle National President Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
April 8, 2011
WASHINGTON – The national president of the American Outlaw Association (Outlaws) motorcycle gang was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for leading a violent criminal organization.More »
Six Convicted of Attempting Armed Robbery of Drug Trafficker
March 18, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Six men from Philadelphia were convicted today of conspiring to conduct an armed home invasion robbery of a drug stash house in Fairfax County.More »
Former Pawn Shop Ownder Pleads Guilty
March 14, 2011
HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA — The former owner of a Front Royal pawn shop pled guilty this morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville to charges related to the illegal sale of firearms.More »
Manassas Men Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Murder, Drug Trafficking
March 11, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Three men from Manassas, Va., were each sentenced today to 50 years in prison for using firearms to murder a man they believed had robbed them of drugs and money earned through their drug trafficking operation. More »
District Man Convicted of Second Degree Murder
February 28, 2011
WASHINGTON – Julius Johnson, 24, of Washington, D.C., has been convicted of second degree murder and other charges in a slaying that took place in August 2005 in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced. More »
Former Owner of Bridges, Billiards & Grill Sentenced to 60 Months for Arson
January 21, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — Ajmal A. Aman, 29, of Herndon, Virginia, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for intentionally setting fire to Bridges, Billiards & Grill, a bar located in Fairfax City, Virginia. In addition Aman was ordered to pay $742,790 in restitution for the damage caused to the victims of the fire. More »
Twenty-Five Charged with Drug, Firearm Trafficking in Manassas
January 20, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Twenty-five individuals allegedly involved in drug and firearm trafficking in Manassas, Va., were charged in federal court following a two-year investigation by federal and local law enforcement intent on penetrating drug distribution and crime networks in Manassas. More than 20 individuals were also charged today on state offenses as a result of this investigation. More »
District Heights Felon Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Prison on Drug and Gun Offenses
December 15, 2010
Greenbelt, Maryland — Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Corenzo Mobery, age 28, of District Heights, Maryland, today to 125 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a felon. More »
Fire Investigators Determine Cause of Virginia Theological Seminary Church Fire
October 28, 2010
The National Response Team (NRT) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with agents from the ATF Falls Church Field Division and Alexandria Fire Marshal’s Office investigators have completed the on-scene investigation into the cause of the Oct. 22 fire at the chapel located at the Virginia Theological Seminary at 3737 Seminary Rd. More »
Owner of Fairfax Bar Convicted of Setting Fire to His Business
October 27, 2010
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Edgar A. Domenech, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and David Rohr, Fire Chief for the City of Fairfax, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by United States District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. Aman will face a mandatory minimum period of five years imprisonment and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment when he is sentenced on Jan. 14, 2011. More »
ATF Enters Investigation Into Historic Virginia Theological Seminary Chapel Fire
October 23, 2010
The National Response Team (NRT) of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with ATF special agents from Falls Church Virginia and Washington DC have entered the investigation into a fire at the Virginia Theological Seminary, located at 3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA. The fire was contained to the historic chapel on the grounds of the Seminary. Initial estimates established a dollar loss of over two million dollars due to the fire. More »
ATF Washington Field Division Releases Top Investigations of Fiscal Year 2010
October 19, 2010
Edgar A. Domenech, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, released a list of the top investigations undertaken during fiscal year 2010 (October 1, 2009-September 30, 2010). The Washington Field Division covers Washington DC, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and seven counties in the panhandle of West Virginia. More »
Members of Prince William County Cocaine Trafficking Ring Indicted
September 24, 2010
Seven men were charged in a 34-count indictment yesterday for trafficking cocaine and firearms in Prince William County. Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Shawn Henry, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Edgar A. Domenech, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Charlie T. Deane, Prince William County Chief of Police, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed. More »
Virginia Beach Member of the Mongol’s Motorcycle Gang Pleads Guilty to Machinegun Charge
September 13, 2010
Justin Wilson, 29, of Virginia Beach, Va., pleaded guilty today to possession and transfer of a machinegun. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Edgar A. Domenech, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. More »
Man Sentenced to 37 Years in Prison for Multiple Carjacking Spree
September 10, 2010
B Terrell Elisha Roberson, 22, of Oxon Hill, Md., was sentenced to 37 years in prison for using a firearm to carjack multiple cars in the Washington, D.C.,-metro area. More »
Front Royal Man Indicted on Gun Charges
September 7, 2010
A former federally licensed firearms dealer has been charged with illegally selling guns without a license and selling guns to convicted felons at a flea market in Front Royal, Virginia. More »
Ten-Year Sentence for Virginia Beach Gun Shop Theft Get-Away Driver
September 2, 2010
Roshawn D. Turner, 25, of Norfolk, Va., was sentenced today in Norfolk federal court to 10 years in prison for his role in a night-time theft of 27 firearms from the Armory Gun Shop in Virginia Beach, Va. More »
Justice Department Honors Undercover Gun, Drug Investigation With Project Safe Neighborhoods Achievement Award
July 14, 2010
A jointly run undercover investigation that led to dozens of arrests in the Washington area and the seizure of 123 firearms and $1.5 million in narcotics was honored by the Department of Justice today as one of 24 national recipients of the annual Project Safe Neighborhoods Achievement Awards. The honor recognizes work performed by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. More »
Springfield Man Sentenced 57 Years for Murder-for-Hire Plot
June 18, 2010
Mirwais Omar
Mohamadi, 28, of Springfield, Va., was sentenced to serve 57 years in federal prison today for armed robbery and carrying out a plot to hire a man to kill a taxicab driver. More »
Twenty-Seven Members of American Outlaw Association Motorcycle Gang Indicted
June 15, 2010
The National President and 26 other members and associates of the American Outlaw Association (Outlaws) motorcycle gang have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia. The 12-count indictment — which was returned on June 10, 2010, but unsealed today — charges that the men participated in a criminal enterprise that engaged in a wide range of crimes, including attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, robbery, extortion, witness intimidation, narcotics distribution, illegal gambling, and weapons violations. More »
Eight Subjects Arrested for Conspiring to Traffic Contraband Cigarettes
June 10, 2010
Federal authorities have arrested eight subjects for conspiring to traffic in contraband cigarettes. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after all were arrested and made their initial appearances in federal court. More »
Grandmother Sentenced to 10 Years Imprisonment for Role as Leader of Oxycontin Distribution Conspiracy
June 9, 2010
United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy announced today that Nancy Bell, 63, of Maynardsville, Tennessee was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Big Stone Gap following her pleas of guilty to numerous charges involving a conspiracy to distribute OxyContin in Lee County, Virginia that involved three generations of Bell’s family. More »
Fairfax Man in Murder-for-Hire Scheme Sentenced 220 Months in Prison
May 21, 2010
Xing Xiao, aka Andy, 33, of Fairfax, Va., was sentenced today to 220 months in prison for conspiring to hire a hitman to murder someone he believed had stolen more than 15,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes from him. As part of his plea agreement, Xiao agreed to forfeit approximately $2.4 million. More »
Eight Lee County Residents Plead Guilty to Oxycontin Distribution Conspiracy
May 3, 2010
United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy announced today that eight defendants entered pleas of guilty this morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to numerous charges involving drug distribution and firearms. These charges resulted from a cooperative investigation by the Lee County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the United States Marshals Service. More »
New York Man Sentenced 70 Months for Drug, Contraband Cigarette Distribution
April 16, 2010
Rui Bai Wang, 33, of Flushing, N.Y., was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for distributing more than 22,000 pills similar to ecstasy and paying more than $165,000 to purchase approximately 2.4 million contraband cigarettes. Wang is a citizen of the People’s Republic of China and will be turned over to immigration officials following his release from prison for deportation proceedings. More »
Grandmother Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution Conspiracy That Involved Daughter and Grand Daughter
April 6, 2010
A cooperative investigation conducted by the Lee County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had led to guilty pleas of at least eight people in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. More »
Springfield Area Man Convicted in Murder-for-Hire Plot
March 18, 2010
Mirwais “Omar” Mohamadi, a twenty-eight-year-old man from the Springfield area of Fairfax County, was convicted today of two counts of Armed Robbery, two counts of Using a Firearm in the Commission of an Armed Robbery, one count of Solicitation to Commit Murder-for-Hire, one count of Murder-for-Hire, and two counts of Witness Tampering by a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia. United States District Court Judge Liam O’Grady scheduled sentencing for June 11, 2010. Mohamadi faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 125 years. More »
Suspect Indicted for Alleged Participation in an Armed Robbery
March 10, 2010
Michael Johnson, Jr., 22, of Newport News, Va., was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges related to the armed robbery of a Miller Mart in Newport News. The charges include conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and use of a firearm in reference to a crime of violence. He faces a maximum penalty of 47 years. More »
Fairfax Man Pleads Guilty to Murder-for-Hire Scheme as Payback for Stolen Cigarettes
March 9, 2010
Xing Xiao, aka Andy, 32, of Fairfax, Va., today pled guilty to conspiring to hire a hitman to murder someone he believed had stolen more than 15,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes from him. More »
Hopewell Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison on Crack and Firearm Charges
March 5, 2010
Roberto Carlos Alvarez, 26, of Hopewell, Virginia, a career offender, was sentenced today to 360 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. More »
Falls Church, Va. Explosives Detection Canine Helps Miami Prepare for Super Bowl XLIV
February 5, 2010
Not everyone participating in this year’s Super Bowl is a football player. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have fielded their best players to help prepare for a safe and secure Super Bowl XLIV. These pros include ATF K-9 explosives detection teams that have been deployed to Miami from around the country. The K-9 teams are working side-by-side with other federal, state and local law-enforcement officers to keep the football teams and fans safe throughout this event. More »
Front Royal, Va. Explosives Detection Canine Helps Miami Prepare for Super Bowl XLIV
February 5, 2010
Not everyone participating in this year’s Super Bowl is a football player. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have fielded their best players to help prepare for a safe and secure Super Bowl XLIV. These pros include ATF K-9 explosives detection teams that have been deployed to Miami from around the country. The K-9 teams are working side-by-side with other federal, state and local law-enforcement officers to keep the football teams and fans safe throughout this event. More »
Three Indicted for Alleged Participation in Hardee's Murder
January 13, 2010
Anthony Lee Wainwright, Jr., 25, Henry Lee Stapleton, 23, and Michael Johnson, Jr., 22, all of Newport News, Va., were indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges related to the murder of Diane Elizabeth Green and the robbery of a Hardee's restaurant in Newport News. More »
Alexandria Man Sentenced to Three Years for Making Illegal Uzi Machine Guns
January 8, 2010
John M. Walker, 50, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally converting a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun. The defendant also agreed to forfeit 19 of his firearms that were possessed in violation of the National Firearms Act. More »