Remember Virginia and Michael Spivak, the sweet couple from Chevy Chase, D.C., killed by burglars in 2008? They had opened their home to Angela Hernandez-Rivera to care for their foster child. Hernandez-Rivera thanked them by teaming up with two men to burglarize their home. They also killed the Spivaks. She and one accomplice were convicted of murder and sentenced in May to 40 years.
David Wilson walked up to five people in Trinidad last May, fired shots in the air, forced the five to the ground, beat them, robbed them and fled. He got 16 years and seven months.
Julius Johnson got a call from his father, Bobby Sr., one night in August 2005. Bobby said James Cousart was “disrespecting” him. Julius showed up with a gun and shot Cousart 20 times. He got 28 years.
My point in telling these quick tales is that people who commit crimes in the District are starting to pay for them with hard time. Credit goes, in part, to Ron Machen, who’s been U.S. attorney for the District for a bit more than a year — time enough to assess his record.
I’m not saying Machen alone is responsible for putting these bad guys behind bars for long sentences. It takes cops, detectives, line prosecutors, witnesses and judges to convict and sentence perpetrators. But Machen has set a tone for his assistant U.S. attorneys: Press hard for convictions, shy away from plea bargains, demand stiff sentences.
In other words, Machen wants criminals to feel the pain, and not just murderers; he has put together strong teams for white collar fraud and public corruption. I get the firm impression that Machen don’t play.
This adds up to bad news for District politicians who are under investigation for various alleged misdeeds. Both Harry “Tommy” Thomas Jr., and Mayor Vince Gray should be worried — very worried.
Attorney General Irvin Nathan charged Thomas this week with diverting $300,000 in public funds to his personal use: fancy car, fabulous trips, the usual. Nathan wants Thomas to pay the money back and more, but his penalties are civil. Nathan referred the case to Machen for possible criminal prosecution.
Machen’s response: Already on the case, according to his spokesman. Not good for Tommy.
As for Mayor Vince and accusations that his campaign paid off candidate Sulaimon Brown — with cash and promises of a job — in exchange for heckling and berating Adrian Fenty during the last campaign, Machen and his federal investigators will look at Brown’s charges and documents with a cold eye. Machen doesn’t know Gray well; they have met once or twice. They share no love nor old guard connections.
True, Sulaimon Brown can come off as erratic in person, but if his documents of payoffs and accounts of meetings amount to hard evidence, Machen could well bring charges.
I asked Machen if he had brought Sulaimon Brown’s allegations before a grand jury. He wouldn’t say. But it is a logical next step, and I wouldn’t bet against it.
No wonder Gray has hired top gun defense lawyer Robert Bennett.
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
