“Dear PoPville,
I received a call from a “No Caller ID” number today. The voicemail (see transcript below) claimed to be Nathaniel Porter of the Metropolitan Police Department trying to reach me about an urgent matter. (more…)
Crime
From the Office of the Attorney General (OAG):
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that warrants were signed seeking the arrest of six members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for falsifying overtime claims by forging supervisory approvals and manipulating official overtime records, resulting in the District paying them $441,137 for work they did not perform. An investigation into this fraud scheme was opened after MPD’s Internal Affairs Division identified irregularities in overtime submissions, including unusually high volumes of claimed overtime hours and inconsistencies between claimed work activity and independent verification data.
Given the limited criminal jurisdiction of the D.C government under the Home Rule Act, prosecutions of adult felonies such as this are handled by the federal government, through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USAO). The Office of the Attorney General (OAG), however, is committed to protecting District resident’s tax dollars and ensuring that DC public officials who abuse their positions of power face consequences and are held accountable for breaches of the public trust. As a result, OAG has entered into a partnership with USAO through which OAG attorneys are detailed to USAO, serving as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs) to prosecute local fraud and public corruption cases.
“These six officers abused their positions of power, exploiting the District and the residents they took an oath to serve and protect. No one is above the law, especially those trusted with enforcing it,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “While the Home Rule Act does not grant my office the jurisdiction to directly prosecute these cases, through our partnership with the USAO, we are able to protect taxpayer dollars and root out local public corruption. I encourage DC residents to report suspected public corruption to my office.”
The MPD members involved and the amounts they fraudulently received are: (more…)
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via google maps
“Dear PoPville,
Have you heard anything this morning about what’s going on with the Metro buses in Tenleytown? There are 20-30 vacant buses lined up along Wisconsin Ave with police and firetrucks blocking many streets, including a stretch along Wisconsin between Veazey and Yuma streets.”
AlertDC had reported at 7:52am: “MPD reports the following roads are closed due to police activity:
– 4200-4300 blocks of Wisconsin Avenue, NW, between Van Ness and Yuma Streets
– 4200 block of 40th Street, NW, between Wisconsin Avenue and Warren Street
Please use alternate routes and expect delays.”
Andrew Leyden reported around 9am:
“The MPD Bomb Squad has cleared a suspicious package at the firehouse of DCFD Engine 20. A thermos bottle with some wires was discovered this morning but ruled non-hazardous.”
An A+ update from Andrew:
“Some commentators on this post have noted the device in question is likely not a thermos bottle, but is instead a sex toy called a “Blowbot” or similar item.”
photo by D. Garrett
“Dear PoPville and the MBT Community,
On July 28th, around 5:30 p.m., I was struck by gunfire while riding home from work on the 8th Street NE section of the bike trail (the section of protected bike lanes across from the Dew Drop Inn.) I was riding fast, trying to beat the storm and deciding whether to stop at Trader Joe’s to pick up some vegetables when I heard gunshots. They were all around me. Moments later, I was lying on the street, trying to make sense of what had happened and bleeding.
Then, all of you showed up.
I can’t thank you all enough. You asked all the right questions, (more…)
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photo by Miki Jourdan
Update: “the first round of payments to claimants will be sent out this month. We are still processing claims that came in later and there will be a second round of payments in the coming months.”
“Dear PoPville,
DC OAG claimed victory for DC house buyers (see article) for Title Insurance Kickbacks and sent out claim information back in the winter to eligible people.
Has anyone received their restitution check yet? (more…)
From the Office of the Attorney General (OAG):
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), along with the Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) and the Sierra Club, secured a new hearing before the DC Public Service Commission to reconsider Washington Gas Light Company’s (Washington Gas) pipe replacement plan, “District SAFE,” which according to Washington Gas, will require $215 million over three years raised through a surcharge on customers’ gas bills. The PSC granted a motion for rehearing filed by OAG, OPC, and the Sierra Club, and is holding a new hearing on the next phase of Washington Gas’s pipe replacement plan (previously called PROJECT pipes) on Monday, July 27 and Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (more…)
National Guard troops spotted at entrance (15th and Euclid St, NW) of Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park on Sunday afternoon.
“Dear PoPville,
There was a shooting – I swear 15+ shots – around 1:20pm right at the meridian hill/malcolm x park entrance on 16th and Euclid. Terrifying. I thought it was fireworks because there were SO many shots in a row.”
Another reader writes:
“Another (shooting) at 17th and Euclid NW about an hour ago. (1:25pm)”
MPD tells me via email: (more…)
3600 block of 14th Street, NW
A reader reports Tuesday afternoon:
“Multiple unmarked SUVs, one without a plate: (more…)
920 14th Street, NW photo by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb
From the office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Park Place Inc., which owns and operates the restaurant, nightclub, and event venue The Park at 14th, will pay $243,350 to harmed workers and the District to resolve an investigation that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has conducted into alleged violations of DC’s wage and hour laws. OAG found that the company failed to provide hundreds of workers with paid sick leave, misclassified some workers as independent contractors to avoid providing them the wages and benefits they were entitled to as employees, and illegally retaliated against certain workers who raised concerns about tips or wages by removing them from the schedule or cutting their pay rate.
“Today, we’re putting money back in the pockets of hundreds of workers who were denied the compensation and benefits they were legally entitled to,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “Wage theft and illegal worker misclassification does not only harm hard-working employees – it also interferes with honest businesses’ ability to compete on a level playing field. At a time when families across the District are struggling to make ends meet, my office will continue to fight to make sure workers receive what they’ve earned and that businesses operating in DC follow the law.”
The Park at 14th is a large restaurant, nightclub, and event venue located at 920 14th Street NW in Ward 2. An investigation by OAG uncovered evidence that it violated DC’s wage and hour laws with respect to more than 270 workers by: (more…)
photo by Diane Krauthamer
From the DC ACLU:
“The District of Columbia has agreed to pay to settle a First Amendment lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia (ACLU-D.C.), on behalf of Sam O’Hara, a D.C. resident who was handcuffed for playing the “Imperial March” from Star Wars while walking behind National Guard troops. (more…)