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.
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
Washington Field Division
1401 H. Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC
20226
USA
Voice (202) 648-8010
Fax (202) 648-8001
Receive Washington Press Release Updates
Man Arrested for Serial Robberies
December 28, 2012
Following a relentless investigation by The Newport News Police Department, the Hampton Police Division, the York County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, an arrest has been made in connection with numerous commercial robberies spanning three jurisdictions dating back to December of 2010. More »
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to 2010 Murder in Centreville
December 10, 2012
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Tasheik Ashanti Champean, 46, of Suitland, Md., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and murder of a man at a residence in the Centreville area of Fairfax County, Va., on May 17, 2010. More »
Two Conspirators Exiled to Prison in Scheme to Straw Purchase Eight Guns
November 30, 2012
Greenbelt, Maryland — U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. sentenced Henry Lee Smith, age 50, of Washington, D.C., today to a year and a day and ordered him to pay a $2,000 fine for conspiring to straw purchase firearms. Co–defendant Joshua A. Smith, age 22, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and was sentenced on November 27, 2012 to 18 months in prison and 60 hours of community service. More »
Maurice Thomson Michaely of Haymarket
November 30, 2012
Maurice Thomson Michaely of Haymarket, Virginia was arrested and charged on November 29, 2012 with burning or destroying a dwelling house by the Prince William County Fire Marshal's Office in conjunction with County Police. More »
Pennington Gap Police Officer Charged with Distribution of Lortabs and Percocets
November 29, 2012
ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – John Charles Kelly, an officer with the Pennington Gap, Va., Police Department, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon. More »
Bowie Felon Exiled to 10 Years in Prison for Selling Ammunition to a Felon
November 28, 2012
Greenbelt, Maryland — U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Phillip Rudolph Johnson, Jr., age 43, of Bowie, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for selling ammunition to a prohibited person. More »
Richmond Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge
November 2, 2012
RICHMOND, Va. — Gregory Denard Mills, aka Craig Mills,
48, of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine from 2006 to 2009. More »
Richmond Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges
November 2, 2012
RICHMOND, Va. – Gregory Denard Mills, aka Craig Mills,
48, of Richmond, Va., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine from 2006 to 2009.More »
Four Indicted on Drug, Gun, Robbery Charges
November 1, 2012
ABINGDON, VIRGINIA — Four people, including the former police chief of the Pennington Gap, Va., Police Department, were indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon on a variety of charges.
The grand jury has charged William Bryan Young, Kevin Andrew Young, Chris Miles and Jimmy Edward Johnson. More »
Man Charged with Arson for Throwing Molotov Cocktail in Ballston Common Mall
October 19, 2012
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Leon Alphans Traille Jr., 29, has been charged with committing arson for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into the food court area of the Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Va.More »
Three Sentenced on Cigarette Trafficking Charges
October 18, 2012
ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – One year after a federal indictment charging the Belcorp Corporation, and others, with cigarette trafficking crimes was unsealed, a federal judge sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon sentenced an individual and two corporate defendants for their roles in the scheme.More »
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, 2011March 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 »