Former tech office worker guilty in kickback scheme
A former employee in the District’s technology office pleaded guilty to his role in a kickback scheme that robbed the city of $500,000. Farrukh Awan admitted he conspired with technology office manager Yussef Acar to direct contracts to a government contractor in exchange for kickbacks. He faces up to 2 1/2 years in prison when he’s sentenced in February. He’s the third person to plead guilty to the conspiracy.
Fairfax County officer shoots man to death
A traffic stop turned deadly when a Fairfax County police officer opened fire and killed a man on Route 1, police said.
Officers had responded to a report of a larceny in progress shortly after 1 p.m. Friday. Police then attempted a traffic stop after the suspect vehicle was spotted in the area of Richmond Highway and Shields Avenue.
The suspect, identified as David Alan Masters, 52, of Fredericksburg, Va., did not stop until he encountered heavy traffic, police said. An officer shot Masters in the upper body at the subsequent traffic stop.
Masters was transported to Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.
Ringleader of nationwide ID theft ring sentenced
The ringleader of a nationwide identity theft ring that snared Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison.
Clyde Austin Gray ran a ring that stole more than $1.5 million from victims across the country, prosecutors said. Members of the scheme nabbed wallets from targets and used identity information to pilfer bank accounts. Among the victims was Bernanke, whose wife’s purse was stolen from a Starbucks in D.C.
