The Defendant Laundered the Drug Proceeds by Converting Bitcoin into Cash, and Through a Series of Transactions, Transferring the Money into Bank Accounts He Controlled
Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Vishesh Aragam Guruprasad, age 31, of Boyds, Maryland yesterday to 42 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for a drug distribution conspiracy involving the purchase and sale of drugs through darkweb marketplaces, and money laundering.
According to his guilty plea, between at least July 2016 and February 2019, Aragam conspired to distribute and possessed with the intent to distribute over two kilograms of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as MDMA. Specifically, Aragam admitted that he bought and sold illegal narcotics, including MDMA and marijuana, on various darkweb marketplaces. For example, between July 15, 2016 and June 13, 2017, Aragam sold over two kilograms of MDMA on one darkweb marketplace and from October 2018 to April 2019, Aragam completed over 1,000 transactions selling MDMA, heroin, or marijuana through another darkweb marketplace. Aragam’s darkweb customers paid for the narcotics in Bitcoin, which the darkweb marketplace would maintain until Aragam transferred to Bitcoin to a virtual currency wallet Aragam maintained. Aragam used a virtual currency exchange to broker the exchange of Bitcoin to cash.
Aragam admitted that he obtained distribution quantities of MDMA from the United Kingdom, which he sold to drug customers throughout the United States over the darkweb. Aragam had the MDMA shipped from the United Kingdom to the post office boxes of co-conspirators, who would then deliver the drugs to Aragam. As detailed in the plea agreement, Aragam also sold drugs from his residence.
As stated in his plea agreement, Aragam routed the proceeds from his sale of illegal narcotics through several accounts and converted the proceeds from Bitcoins to U.S. dollars to conceal the nature and source of the proceeds. For example, on June 30, 2017, Aragam transferred 18 Bitcoins from a darkweb marketplace to his virtual currency account at Exchange A, and a few days later, exchanged the 18 Bitcoins into U.S. dollars. Aragam transferred $41,822.05, the value of the 18 Bitcoins as of that date, to Aragam’s virtual wallet spend account at his bank, then, in a series of transactions, moved the money into other accounts Aragam controlled.
A search warrant executed at Aragam’s residence on April 4, 2019, recovered four rifles and a shotgun, more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition, 92.83 grams of MDMA, marijuana, and one gram of a mixture containing phenylethyl and fentanyl.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 15900blk of Barnesville Rd in Boyds on Friday night for the report an outside fire. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, firefighters encountered three buildings (two sheds and a 2-car garage) on fire a half-mile off the road. There were no injuries reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Piringer tweeted, “Power supplied by extension cords/power strips. Due to damage & numerous competent ignitions sources, incl smoking materials.” Damage is estimated to be ~15K. We will post an update if additional information is available.
Update – Barnesville Rd, fire is under control, involved Small shed, Sea container and 2 car garage. No injuries @mcfrs on scene https://t.co/FwZWPNNr03 pic.twitter.com/nQO2TC2lAV
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) March 25, 2023
Update: Brianna Herrera has been located safe and unharmed.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 16-year-old from Boyds. Brianna Herrera was last seen on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at approximately 12 a.m., in the 19000 block of Marksburg Ct.
Herrera is approximately 5-feet, 5-inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. She has brown eyes and dark brown hair. She was last seen wearing a grey zip-up hoodie with the number ‘23’ on the back. Police and family are concerned for her welfare. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Brianna Herrera is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400. Callers may remain anonymous.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Kevin Hessler, a jury has found defendant, Rodjaun Neal-Williams, 21 of Clarksburg, guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter and Use of Firearm in Commission of a Crime of Violence for the death of 23-year-old Javon Gordon of Boyds. The jury returned the verdict on Tuesday, March 7th, 2023. Defendant, Neal-Williams, faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled before Judge Hessler on May 31st at 1:30 p.m.
This stems from an incident on April 13, 2021, on the 12900 block of Ethel Rose Way in Boyds. The defendant who was 19-years old at the time, was a passenger in a vehicle that pulled up to small group of individuals in the street. There was an altercation between Neal-Williams and Gordon while Neal-Williams was seated inside of the vehicle, and he fired a handgun, killing Gordon.”
“This is an example of a ghost gun fired in broad daylight in a neighborhood where families were out enjoying a beautiful spring day. I thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Gabriel Carrera and John Lalos for their work in this matter, as this type of brazen violence is not acceptable in our community. This defendant will face up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
The Montgomery County Planning Board recommended the Montgomery County Council designate the Edward U. Taylor School in Boyds as historic by adding it to the county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation at a public hearing on Thursday, February 23. The County Council makes final decisions on historic designations of properties in the county. “We commend the Planning Board’s recommendation that the County Council designate the Edward U. Taylor Elementary School as a historic site,” said Acting Planning Director Tanya Stern. “This school is a landmark in the history of the Black community in Boyds and served as a community anchor. The Taylor School represented the efforts of individuals like Edward U. Taylor and Black organizations, parents, and teachers to obtain quality educational facilities for Black children in Montgomery County in the mid-20th century.” Historic designation criteria are established in Chapter 24A in the Montgomery County Code. The Planning Board evaluated the sites against the criteria and found that the Edward U. Taylor School met the following criteria:
- A Historical and cultural significance. The historic resource has character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the county, state, or nation.
- D Historical and cultural significance. The historic resource has character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the county, state, or nation.
- E Architectural and design significance. Represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community, or county due to its singular physical characteristic or landscape.
About the Edward U. Taylor School site: The former Edward U. Taylor School (19501 White Ground Road, Boyds, MD) was built as an elementary school for Black students at a time when Montgomery County used legally sanctioned racial segregation to prohibit Black children from attending white schools. The Modern Movement-influenced building was completed in 1952, and features several additions built between 1954 and 1969. The facility was built to modern school design standards and represents the cumulative efforts of the county’s Black community to obtain better facilities and opportunities after decades of public underinvestment in educational facilities for Black children. The building currently serves as the Taylor Science Center for the processing and storage of science kits for Montgomery County Public Schools. The recommendation to study the school was brought forward in the MARC Rail Communities Plan, which was approved by the County Council in April 2019. View a short video on the Legacy of the Edward U. Taylor School. View the September 2022 Edward U. Taylor Elementary School Master Plan for Historic Preservation Designation Form.
The Montgomery County Planning Board will consider the Edward U. Taylor School and Weller’s Dry Cleaning sites for historic designation at the Planning Board meeting on February 23, 2023. The public is invited to offer testimony during the public hearing either in person or virtually. At the meeting, the Planning Board will make a recommendation for or against designation which will be sent to the Montgomery County Council for their final decision. The last amendment to the Master Plan of Historic Preservation was the historic designation of the Potomac Overlook District in 2022. View the public hearing draft of the amendment.
“We are so pleased to bring two important Montgomery County sites to the Planning Board for their consideration for historic preservation,” said Montgomery County Planning Department Historic Preservation Office supervisor Rebeccah Ballo. “Historic preservation is an integral part of planning, economic development and what makes our community special.”
The Edward U. Taylor School
The former Edward U. Taylor School (19501 White Ground Road, Boyds, MD) was built as an elementary school for Black students at a time when Montgomery County used legally sanctioned racial segregation to prohibit Black children from attending white schools. The Modern Movement-influenced building was completed in 1952, and features several additions built between 1954 and 1969. The facility was built to modern school design standards and represents the cumulative efforts of the county’s Black community to obtain better facilities and opportunities after decades of public underinvestment in educational facilities for Black children. The building currently serves as the Taylor Science Center for the processing and storage of science kits for Montgomery County Public Schools.
The recommendation to study the school was brought forward in the MARC Rail Communities Plan, which was approved by the County Council in April 2019.
Weller’s Dry Cleaning
The former Weller’s Dry Cleaning site (8237 Fenton Street in Silver Spring, MD) consists of a Googie-styled commercial store and sign constructed in 1961. The Googie style is a popular, but relatively rare, mid-twentieth century roadside commercial architecture that is a subset of the Modern Movement of architecture. Architects popularized the style in California where the intention was to attract motorists traveling at 35 miles per hour or more to stop and patronize roadside businesses. The design of the Weller’s Dry Cleaning building and sign engaged the everyday consumer with a modern and popular architecture in lieu of the high-style austerity of the International, Brutalist, and Expressionist styles. As a result, the site is a visual landmark for residents and visitors within the Thayer Avenue commercial area and greater Downtown Silver Spring. Very few examples of this architectural style remain intact in the county or region.
The site was originally identified for evaluation as an historic resource over twenty years ago in the Historic Sites Survey Report: Silver Spring Central Business District (2002). The Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan (2022) directed the Planning Department to evaluate the Weller’s Dry Cleaning site designation as a Master Plan Historic Site.
Evaluation Process
The decision whether to place a resource on the Master Plan for Historic Preservation is based on criteria set forth in Chapter 24A-3 of the County Code. The decision to designate a property begins with a completed research form from The Maryland Historic Trust and is reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), the Montgomery County Planning Board, and the Montgomery County Council. When the County Council includes a property in the Master Plan for Historic Preservation, then exterior changes must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission before issuance of any permits.
Examples of current Master Plan Historic Sites and Districts include:
- Archeological sites and mill ruins along stream valleys
- Farms, banks and meeting houses, associated with the Quaker heritage
- Lock houses, aqueducts, mines and quarries, boarding the Potomac River and the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) canal
- Rivers fords and encampment sites of the Civil War
- Early African-American communities
- Early suburbs developed along the route of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) railroad
- Small-scale commercial blocks and gas stations from the early automobile era
- Major government complexes such as the Bethesda Naval Hospital and the National Institute of Health
- Postwar housing that shaped suburban development
About the Historic Preservation Office
The Montgomery County Planning Department’s Historic Preservation Office (HPO) identifies, protects, and explores historically significant built places throughout the county, ultimately preserving the past to enrich the future. HPO is responsible both for administering regulations around designating and maintaining historical sites and for digging into the county’s history to better inform the decision makers planning our future.
As part of Montgomery Planning, HPO constantly strives to help improve the natural and built environments of Montgomery County. The county’s historic fabric has irrevocably informed every corner of the county, from the Ag Reserve to Silver Spring, and understanding HPO’s role is a critical part of planning. Americans are aware of such public history in ways that they have not been in a generation, and HPO aims to share that history as broadly as possible.
Though the Historic Preservation Office focuses on the built environment (which distinguishes us from other historic societies), HPO also has resources for genealogy, tax credits, and more. From restoring and promoting specific sites to painting a more complete picture of the diverse people and places that shaped—and continue to shape—the modern Montgomery County, HPO helps ensure that future plans are informed by and reflected in a thorough, critical appreciation of what came before. History lives with us in the present.
Kayla DiCello, a freshman from Boyds who recently graduated from Northwest High School in Germantown, was recently named the “SEC Specialist of the Week” a week after being named the “SEC Freshman of the Week.” DiCello won the all-around in the quad meet against Ball State, Lindenwood and West Virginia with a top score of 39.475. DiCello’s score was the highest all-around mark among SEC freshmen, second among nation’s freshmen and tied for nation’s 10th highest for the opening weekend.
She is now one of seven Gators to win the all-around in their first meet since 1986. DiCello tied with Trinity Thomas (2019) for Florida’s top all-around in the first collegiate meet. She shared second place on balance beam with teammate Ellie Lazzari at 9.90, and also captured third place on bars (9.925) and floor (9.875). In July DiCello was selected to compete at the upcoming Pan American Championships. In August, DiCello competed at the National Championships. She finished finished fourth in the all-around and third on balance beam.
Featured photo courtesy of the University of Florida
Friends of Black Hill Nature Programs will host a virtual talk and silent auction on Friday, November 18, 2022, at 6 p.m. to support the development of the new, self-sustaining classroom
Montgomery Parks and The Friends of Black Hill Nature Programs will host a virtual talk and silent auction on November 18, 2022, from 6 – 8 p.m. tocelebrate and support the future development of Black Hill Regional Park’s new, sustainable classroom. The silent auction takes place through November 19 and will be available on the Friends of Black Hill Nature Programs website.
“To celebrate the construction of the new SEED classroom, we have the privilege of hosting Barbara Deutsch as our featured guest speaker, a renowned authority and well-known advocate for a vast array of sustainability issues,” said Monika Carter Laws, Friends of Black Hill Nature Programs member. Here is what’s happening:
- Starting at 6 p.m. on Nov. 18, the Friends of Black Hill Nature Programs will host its annual meeting via Zoom. Participants must register. The meeting is open to all who are interested.
- The meeting kicks off with the election of its Board of Directors.
- At 6:30 p.m., Barbara Deutsch, CEO of the Landscape Architecture Foundation and Jennifer Scully, Black Hill Visitor Center and Nature Programs manager will present”Taking a Deep Dive: Building the Bridge with Sustainability Issues Associated with Landscape, Architecture and Gardening.” Scully has helped lead the design, funding and construction of the new SEED classroom.
About the new Black Hill Regional Park SEED classroom
The SEED classroom will be a cornerstone of the nature programs at Black Hill Regional Park and will educate and empower students to thrive in a changing climate. SEED stands for Sustainable Education Every Day.
The SEED Classroom will be a space for Preschool in the Park, a nature-based preschool, as well as STEM-focused field trips for middle and high school students. The classroom will also be available for private and public events.
Sustainable materials and systems are left exposed in the classroom, showing students how the building works. The SEED classroom will be net-zero energy use.
Major SEED classroom features include:
- Prefabricated self-sustained building structure
- Solar panels
- A restroom with a composting toilet
- A rainwater cistern for water recycling
- A living wall inside the building using recycled rainwater to nourish plants
- Large open classroom space and covered deck
- Real-time data collection to allow students to track the classroom’s energy and water production and usage
“The Friends of Black Hill Nature Programs have been instrumental in bringing a sustainable classroom to Black Hill Regional Park. Without their support, this simply would not be possible. I look forward to updating our Black Hill community on the progress of construction and our plans for our new facility,” said Jennifer Scully, Black Hill Visitors Center and Nature Programs manager.
Montgomery County Park Police will be conducting a multi-agency Search and Rescue exercise this Saturday, November 5th from 7am-7pm at Black Hill Regional Park.
Per Park Police: “The park will remain open, however do not be alarmed if you see search and rescue dog teams, horse teams, and a large police presence throughout the day.”
We will be conducting a multi agency Search and Rescue exercise this Saturday 11/5 from 7am-7pm at Black Hill Regional Park. The park will remain open, however do not be alarmed if you see search and rescue dog teams, horse teams, and a large police presence throughout the day. pic.twitter.com/EDV2JcCNRL
— Park Police MC (@ParkPolice) November 3, 2022
We are about a month into fall and the colors around us are changing. Whether it’s the taste of a warm pumpkin-flavored latte, the cool breeze of a crisp fall morning, weekends full of football, or the yellow glow of the sun on a tall birch tree, autumn is often a contender for MoCo residents’ favorite season (however short it may be). Many locals are looking forward to combining all the best parts of fall and enjoying the foliage outdoors, so we’ve put together a small list of 10 where you can enjoy the foliage across the county:
Agricultural Reserve: A drive through the rural areas that the 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve encompasses, along with the larger rural communities of Damascus and Poolesville and small crossroad communities such as Beallsville, Sunshine and Dickerson, are sure to give you your fill of fall foliage.
Black Hill Regional Park (Boyds): With over 2,000 acres of land for outdoor recreation and family gatherings, you can enjoy spectacular views of the foliage and Little Seneca Lake.
Agricultural History Farm Park (Derwood): You can find fall changes beyond foliage at Agricultural History Farm Park. The fields are golden brown and ready for harvest. Dahlias are in bloom next door in the Montgomery County Master Naturalists’ gardens. And, there are glints of red on a maple tree.
Rock Creek Regional Park (Derwood): Lake Bernard Frank at Rock Creek Regional Park is a beautiful spot for quiet and solitude right now. Pack in a chair or find a log and take in the crisp air and seasonal scenery. Yellow leaves are saturated at sunset.
Seneca Creek State Park (Gaithersburg): Th3 6,300 acre park extends along 14 scenic miles of Seneca Creek, all the way to the Potomac River. Clopper Lake offers boating and fishing, as well as trails for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. A 16.5 mile hike down Seneca Creek Greenway Trail follows the entire course of the creek.
Cabin John Regional Park (Potomac): Look high and low on the trails near Locust Grove Nature Center at Cabin John Regional Park for autumn color.
Great Falls Park (Potomac): Foliage and the Potomac River? Count us in. You can catch a little of everything at Great Falls this time of year.
Maydale Conservation Park (Silver Spring): In the eastern part of Montgomery County, there are hints of fall. Dabs of yellow are beginning to show on trees around the pond at Maydale Conservation Park.
Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park (Silver Spring): Crunch your way along Sligo Creek Trail. The paved path is covered in brown and yellow leaves which collect and disperse with the wind. The canopy is punctuated with hints of yellow and orange.
Brookside Gardens (Wheaton): Montgomery County’s incomparable, award-winning 50-acre public display garden within Wheaton Regional Park has plenty of foliage for visitors to take in.
Featured photo courtesy of Montgomery Planning
Per MCDOT:
On Tuesday, August 16 starting at 7 p.m., the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will hold a virtual public hearing regarding the 70% design plans for the Transit Center in Boyds, MD. The public will have an opportunity to provide written and oral testimony on the project design.
The Boyds Transit Center project will provide a new bus loop and parking lot on the former Anderson property at the Boyds MARC station. This project will address the increased demand for commuter parking at the Boyds MARC station and the Ride On needs for future expansion of service from Clarksburg to the MARC station.
Online registration is required to attend. On the morning of the hearing, an electronic invitation to participate in this hearing will be emailed to you. Testimony and information provided will become a matter of public record and may influence final design plans.
The public is encouraged to review the project files posted on the project website prior to attending the hearing.
Written testimony or questions may be submitted to the Project Manager, Rebecca Park, through this online comment form or by emailing [email protected]. Written testimony carries the same weight as oral testimony.
Interpreter services will be provided upon request with five business days advance notice by contacting Rebecca Park.
Learn more about MCDOT’s engineering and construction projects by following @MoCo_DTE on Twitter, or visit montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-dte.
For more information on MCDOT programs and services visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.
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