FBI | FFXnow - Part 2

NEW: FBI headquarters site selection now under federal investigation

Published November 30, 2023 at 1:15PM | Updated November 30, 2023 at 4:15PM

The current FBI headquarters in D.C. (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) The federal government has officially decided to review its decision to award the FBI’s new headquarters to Prince George’s County, Maryland, over Fairfax County.

The inspector general’s office for the General Service Administration has initiated an evaluation of the “process and procedures” that led the agency to choose a 61-acre site near the Greenbelt Metro station for the FBI’s future headquarters campus, according to a letter sent to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) today (Thursday).

Countywide

Fairfax County and Virginia leaders call for investigation into FBI HQ site selection

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 13, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated November 13, 2023 at 4:09PM

The current FBI headquarters in D.C. (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Virginia’s elected leaders may not agree on issues like abortion access or education, but they remain united by the conviction that the Commonwealth would be a better host than Maryland for the FBI.

After coming together to pitch a Springfield warehouse as the best site for the law enforcement agency’s new headquarters, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined Democratic senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Virginia’s bipartisan House delegation last Thursday (Nov. 9) to blast the federal government for awarding the facility to Prince George’s County instead.

Countywide

Local lawmakers annoyed by change to criteria for new FBI HQ location

By Matt Blitz

Published July 18, 2023 at 11:45AM

The General Services Administration Warehouse in Springfield, potential site of the FBI's new headquarters (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

There has been another change in criteria for determining where the new FBI headquarters will go, prompting annoyance and even anger from several local officials.

Late last week, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it will now weigh cost and “advancing equity” as factors of higher importance when deciding if the new FBI headquarters will end up in Springfield or one of two sites in Prince George’s County, Maryland, per an updated site selection plan.

News

Local Navy reserve officer sentenced to prison for gun silencers bought after U.S. Capitol breach

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 17, 2023 at 11:00AM

U.S. Capitol surveillance videos captured a man identified by the FBI as Falls Church resident Hatchet Speed entering the building on Jan. 6, 2021 (via U.S. Attorney's Office)

A local Navy reserve officer has been sentenced to prison for having unregistered gun silencers that he bought after participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection.

Hatchet Speed, a 41-year-old Falls Church resident who once worked for a defense contractor in Vienna, was handed a three-year prison sentence by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced Thursday (April 13).

News

Virginia Republican and Democrat leaders rally for common goal: beating Maryland in FBI HQ battle

By Vernon Miles

Published February 14, 2023 at 3:00PM | Updated March 24, 2023 at 2:37PM

The General Services Administration Warehouse in Springfield, potential site of the FBI's new headquarters (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

In an unusual show of bipartisan unity, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will attend a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday) with Democratic senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and other elected leaders to rally for a Northern Virginia FBI headquarters.

A release from Warner’s office said the elected leaders will hold a press conference in Springfield to lay out the case for bringing the proposed headquarters to Fairfax County.

News

Herndon man charged with producing child porn

By Fatimah Waseem

Published January 10, 2023 at 11:00AM

U.S. Attorneys Office in Alexandria (via Google Maps)

A Herndon man could face up to 15 years in prison for the production of child pornography, according to authorities.

Vincent Joseph Sarikey, 34, appeared in court yesterday (Monday) for allegations that he attempted to groom minors, pushed them record themselves partaking in sexual activities, and engaged in “sexually exploit discussions” with at least two people who identified themselves as minors, the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Countywide

Education funding, authority to lower speed limits among Fairfax County’s 2023 legislative priorities

By Matt Blitz

Published December 13, 2022 at 3:00PM

Fairfax County is seeking more state support for education, a return of $39 million for regional transportation projects and more in its recently approved legislative priorities for next year.

At a meeting last week, the Board of Supervisors approved the adoption of the county’s 2023 legislative programs for both state and federal lawmakers. It passed by a 9-1 vote with only Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity opposing.

News

Chairman McKay calls Springfield a ‘no-brainer’ choice for FBI HQ

By Vernon Miles

Published October 11, 2022 at 11:00AM

GSA warehouse in Springfield (image via Google Maps)

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay says Springfield would be an ideal choice for a new FBI headquarters — or would be if another agency wasn’t involved in an underhanded attempt to play favorites.

While it’s not exactly shocking that the county’s top elected official thinks Fairfax would be a good choice for the new FBI headquarters, McKay has gone a few steps past that and accused Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) of putting a finger on the scales.

News

Springfield man charged with assault on police at Capitol insurrection

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 22, 2022 at 9:30AM

The U.S. Capitol building (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A Springfield man assaulted a U.S. Capitol Police officer with a barricade during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot by supporters of former president Donald Trump, federal prosecutors allege.

Joseph Brody, 23, was arrested on Sept. 15 and faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. announced Tuesday (Sept. 20).

Countywide

Fairfax man sentenced in conspiracy to distribute drugs through the mail

By Brandi Bottalico

Published July 13, 2022 at 1:30PM | Updated January 18, 2024 at 4:44PM

The Justice Department logo (via DOJ)

A Fairfax man was sentenced to 52 months in jail yesterday (Tuesday) for conspiring to distribute drugs through the darknet in a conspiracy that extended to other Fairfax County residents.

Tyler Pham, 39, conspired to distribute peach tablets through the U.S. mail that were advertised as Adderall but actually contained methamphetamine, according to a U.S Department of Justice press release. Six other individuals previously entered guilty pleas in connection with the conspiracy and were sentenced to over 13 years in prison combined.