Washington Field Division

The Washington DC city skyline 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.

Richard Marianos


Division Management Team

Richard Marianos
Special Agent In Charge (SAC)
James Newman
Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC)
John Cooper
Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAC)
Gary Bangs
Director of Industry Operations (DIO)
Janice Kemp
Public Information Officer (PIO)

Division Contact Information

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
1401 H. Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20226 USA
Voice (202) 648-8010
Fax (202) 648-8001

Hampton Man Sentenced in String of Armed Robberies

August 24, 2012

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Christian Lamont Johnson, 23, of Hampton, Va., was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury accused of robbing at gunpoint three businesses in the Hampton Roads region.More »

Richard Marianos Named to Head Up ATF Washington Division

August 16, 2012

WASHINGTON – Acting Director B. Todd Jones has named Richard W. Marianos special agent in charge (SAC) of ATF's Washington Field DivisionMore »

Prince George's County Drug Dealer Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Prison on Gun and Drug Charges

July 9, 2012

Greenbelt, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Dana Vincent McGriff, Jr., age 30, of New Carrollton, Maryland, today to 100 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute heroin and illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.More »

Two Convicted of Car Jacking a Sears Delivery Truck

June 22, 2012

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Antonio D. McGhee of Essex, Md. and Gabriel D. Mitchell, of Norfolk, Va. were convicted today by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.More »

Virginia Beach Man Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Prison on Gun Charges

June 18, 2012

NORFOLK, Va. – Leonard Clarence Davis, 43, of Virginia Beach, Va., was sentenced today in Norfolk federal court to nine years in prison for transferring 16 unregistered machine guns, and to five years in prison for possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. The sentences are to run consecutively.More »

Suitland Felon Exiled to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing a Gun

May 18, 2012

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Leconie Williams IV, age 35, of Suitland, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Messitte enhanced Williams' sentence upon finding that the gun he illegally possessed had an obliterated serial number.More »

ATF Washington Field Division Agents Receive Prestigious Top Cops Award

May 11, 2012

WASHINGTON – Two Washington Field Division special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will receive an honorable mention Top Cops Award from the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) on May 12 for their work in conducting an undercover murder for hire investigation in Warren County Virginia.More »

Five Men Convicted of Charges for Their Roles in Crimes that Led to Five Murders, Nine Other Shootings

May 7, 2012

WASHINGTON — Five men were convicted by a jury today of murder, conspiracy, and other charges for a series of violent crimes that culminated on the night of March 30, 2010 with a deadly mass shooting on South Capitol Street, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).More »

Richmond Man Sentenced to More Than 38 Years for His Role in 11 Commercial Robberies in the Richmond Area

May 3, 2012

RICHMOND, Va. – Gary Young, 23, of Richmond, Va, was sentenced today to 462 months in prison for his role in eleven commercial robberies in the Richmond area. Targeting gas stations, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and groceries, Young and his accomplice's crime spree netted over $5,000 in proceeds from these robberies.More »

Brothers Sentenced to Combined 94 Years in Prison for Armed Robberies

April 24, 2012

RICHMOND, Va. – Troy Douglas Baylor, 47, of Richmond, Va., and James Derrick Baylor, 44, of Brooklyn, N.Y., were sentenced today to 52 and 42 years in prison, respectively, for committing armed robbery of two businesses in Chesterfield and Richmond.More »

North Carolina Man Indicted on Federal Charges in Assault Against Ambassador, Fires at Gabonese Embassy

April 19, 2012

WASHINGTON - Leon Obame, 44, of Raleigh, N.C., was indicted today on federal charges stemming from two arsons in 2009 at the Gabonese Embassy and a 2011 assault against the country's ambassador, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.More »

ATF Washington Field Division Releases Mid-Year Significant Investigations

April 16, 2012

WASHINGTON – James D. Newman, acting 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 the first half of fiscal year 2012 (Oct. 1, 2011–March 31, 2012). The Washington Field Division covers Washington D.C., the Commonwealth of Virginia, and seven counties in the panhandle of West Virginia.More »

Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison on Murder Charges In Fiery Assault That Led to Death of Manager of Good Guys Club

March 23, 2012

WASHINGTON – Vasile Graure, 41, was sentenced today to a prison term of 35 years on a charge of felony murder while armed with aggravating circumstances in connection with an arson at a Northwest Washington club that led to a man’s death.More »

Alleged Members of Jewelry Theft Ring Arrested

March 21, 2012

WASHINGTON — Seven alleged members of a jewelry theft ring were arrested yesterday on charges related to their alleged roles in a highly sophisticated and violent organization that has stolen more than $4.6 million worth of jewelry from traveling jewelry sales representatives throughout Virginia and at least six other states. Charges against the individuals were unsealed today after the defendants made initial court appearances in Newport News, Va.More »

District Man Sentenced to 25-Year Prison Term For Series of Arsons in Densely Populated City Neighborhoods

March 13, 2012

WASHINGTON – Maurice Dews, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison on arson and other charges stemming from a series of fires in the District of Columbia over a period of 3 ½ years that ended with his arrest last summer.More »

Final Defendant Pleads Guilty for Contraband Cigarette Trafficking

March 5, 2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – The leader of a contraband cigarette smuggling organization that trafficked millions of dollars in cigarettes pled guilty last Friday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville.More »

Man Convicted of Murder Charges in Fiery Assault That Led to Death of Manager of Good Guys Club

January 20, 2012

WASHINGTON — Vasile Graure, 41, was convicted by a jury today of felony murder while armed with aggravating circumstances in connection with an arson at a Northwest Washington club that led to a man’s death.More »

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