U.S. Attorney | FFXnow

Published September 23, 2025 at 9:15AM | Updated February 5, 2026 at 7:31PM

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria (via Google Maps)

Both of the top federal prosecutors in Virginia resigning within a month of each other, reportedly after facing pressure from the Trump administration, is cause for alarm, Fairfax County’s Democratic supervisors say.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay and his Democratic colleagues urged Congress and judges in the Eastern District of Virginia to intervene after interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert resigned on Friday (Sept. 19) under circumstances they argued “appear politically motivated, and malicious.”

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Travel agent who defrauded George Mason men’s basketball program sentenced

By Jared Serre

Published September 11, 2025 at 2:45PM

George Mason's basketball court at EagleBank Arena (photo via George Mason Athletics)

The travel agent who pretended to organize a preseason trip to the Bahamas for the George Mason University men’s basketball team will spend the next 13 months behind bars.

Maurice Eugene Smith, 44, was sentenced today (Thursday) to one year and one month in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud back in April, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.

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Fairfax man pleads guilty over threats to kill federal employees

By Jared Serre

Published September 9, 2025 at 8:30AM | Updated September 9, 2025 at 1:16PM

The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Fairfax man pleaded guilty yesterday (Monday) after he was accused of threatening to kill employees from both the U.S. Postal Service and Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Kenneth R. Woodard, 57, faces 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count each of making threatening communications over interstate commerce and threatening to kill a federal official, the Justice Department announced.

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Man who assaulted deaf passenger on Dulles-bound flight sentenced

By Jared Serre

Published September 4, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated September 5, 2025 at 4:20PM

Dulles Airport main terminal (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The man convicted of assaulting a deaf passenger on an airplane bound for Dulles International Airport has been sentenced to prison.

Everett Chad Nelson, 44, was sentenced by a federal judge on Tuesday (Sept. 2) to two-and-a-half years behind bars, though he will receive credit for time served, court documents said.

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Brothers sentenced for Fairfax-area armed robberies to at least 10 years in prison

By Jared Serre

Published August 11, 2025 at 1:45PM

The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (file photo)

Three brothers have been sentenced to federal prison for participating in a series of armed robberies across the D.C. area, including two in Fairfax County.

The last of the three, 41-year-old Andre Joel White Jr., received his sentence last Thursday (Aug. 7), bringing an end to the years-long scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.

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Merrifield postal worker pleads guilty to intentionally damaging USPS vehicles

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 16, 2025 at 8:30AM

Crashed U.S. Postal Service vehicles in Merrifield (via U.S. court affidavit)

A mail carrier based in Merrifield could face up to a decade in prison after she intentionally crashed and damaged U.S. Postal Service vehicles, the Department of Justice says.

The 31-year-old woman pleaded guilty yesterday (Tuesday) to the destruction of U.S. government property, a charge stemming from a Jan. 16 incident where she allegedly became enraged after being unable to find her cell phone.

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Bailey’s Crossroads man who plotted mass shooting at church sentenced to prison

By Inside NoVA

Published June 20, 2025 at 1:45PM

Rui Jiang (via Prince William County Police Department/Facebook)

A Bailey’s Crossroads man was sentenced Wednesday (June 18) to 25 years in prison for his attempt to carry out a mass shooting at a Haymarket church in 2023.

In March, a federal jury convicted Rui Jiang, 36, of attempting to obstruct the congregants of the Park Valley Church in the free exercise of their religious beliefs, transmitting online threats and a firearms violation.

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Ex-CIA staffer and Vienna resident sentenced for sharing top secret information

By Jared Serre

Published June 12, 2025 at 9:15AM

The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (file photo)

A former CIA analyst will spend the next three years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to improperly sharing top secret national defense information.

Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, was sentenced yesterday (Wednesday) to a total of 37 months in prison — down from the maximum possible sentence of 20 years.

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Oakton doctor sentenced to prison for improperly prescribing pills

By Jared Serre

Published May 16, 2025 at 3:45PM

The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (file photo)

An Oakton-based doctor who admitted to improperly prescribing opioid and amphetamine pills was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison earlier this week.

David Allingham, 65, authorized renewals of medications without providing physical examinations of patients during a nearly five-year period, federal prosecutors said.

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Springfield man who raised funds for Islamic State group sentenced to prison

By Angela Woolsey

Published May 8, 2025 at 11:45AM | Updated May 8, 2025 at 1:39PM

The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Springfield man will serve more than three decades in prison for his reported efforts to collect and send funds to the Islamic State group.

Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, 35, was sentenced to 30 years and four months in prison yesterday (Wednesday) by a U.S. District Court judge in Alexandria after a jury convicted him in December on multiple charges of providing material support to a terrorist organization.