A federal jury has convicted a prominent appellate attorney from Montgomery County who argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and co-founded the widely read legal website SCOTUSblog on multiple counts of tax and mortgage fraud.
Montgomery County Police are investigating a burglary that occurred on March 4th at Cubano’s in Bethesda. MCPD tweeted the following on Tuesday, April 11: “Detectives from the 2D Patrol Investigations Unit are investigating a theft that occurred on Sat., March 4, at the Cubano’s Restaurant in the 4900 block of Cordell Ave. Detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect.” Video below.
Cubano’s opened its Bethesda location in February 2020 and has additional locations in Silver Spring (1201 Fidler Ln.) and Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division, Robbery Section, are investigating an armed robbery of a gas station that occurred on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
At approximately 7:37 a.m., 3rd District officers responded to the Exxon gas station in the 9300 block of Georgia Ave. The victim stated to officers that at approximately 6:42 a.m., a Black male, wearing a black Northface jacket with the hood up, black ski mask, black sunglasses, blue jeans, and dark colored shoes, entered the store and walked around.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Terrence McGann sentenced defendant, Sophia Negroponte, 30, of Washington, D.C., to 35 years in prison for the stabbing death of 24-year-old Yousuf Rasmussen. A jury convicted Negroponte of Second-Degree Murder on January 3rd, 2023.” Negroponte stabbed Rasmussen to death at a home in Rockville in 2020. Negroponte had claimed she was acting in self-defense.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “today the Honorable David Lease, in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, sentenced defendant, Etienne Kabongo, to 90 years in prison suspend all but 40 years. He would face five years of supervised probation should he ever be released. The defendant pleaded guilty to crimes against four female victims, ages 12, 12, 18 and 20, who rode the bus he drove for Montgomery County Public Schools. While he pleaded guilty, Kabongo claimed he was not criminally responsible due to an alleged mental disorder. Last month, however, a jury found he is indeed responsible for the two counts of Second-Degree Rape and two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor.”
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Eric Johnson, a jury has found defendant, Jefferson Delgado, 29, of Gaithersburg, guilty of first-degree attempted murder for shooting a man outside of Antojitos restaurant located on East Diamond Avenue Gaithersburg. The incident occurred on Aril 18, 2021 and the jury reached its verdict late yesterday, March 30, 2023. Delgado faces the potential of life in prison when he is sentenced on May 8, 2023.
This shooting was prompted by an argument between two groups of people at the restaurant. It happened in the parking lot outside of Antojitos at 1:22 a.m. and was caught on surveillance footage. After retrieving a shotgun from a friend’s vehicle, Delgado opened fire at least twice hitting the victim with two bullets. He then ran to a parking garage where he was captured by another surveillance camera running back and forth. He is seen attempting to hide the weapon. The victim in this case survived. Prosecution was handled by Assistant State’s Attorney Teresa Casafranca.”
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable John Maloney sentenced defendant, Carlos Zackery, 26, of Washington, D.C., to 100 years in prison suspend all but 26 years and five years of supervised probation upon release. The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. The defendant pleaded guilty in this case in September 2022 to six armed robberies, nine first degree assaults, and two conspiracy to commit armed robbery charges.
A codefendant in this case, Zackery’s half-brother, Dionte Taylor, 25, of unknown address, was sentenced on January 20, 2023 to 65 years with all but 12 suspended, and five years of supervised probation upon release. He had plead guilty to 13 counts related to the armed robberies.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Jose Lara-Chacon of Wheaton was sentenced on Friday to life in prison suspend all but 40 years and five years of supervised probation upon release. A jury convicted Lara-Chacon of first-degree murder in November for the death of 21-year-old Dimer Diaz Martinez.
This stems from an incident on January 22, 2021 in an apartment along the 12000 block of Viers Mill Rd. in Wheaton. The defendant called 911 requesting emergency response to the scene, stating he and the victim had been drinking alcohol and that he injured the victim. During an interview with detectives, the defendant stated he hit the victim with a baseball bat twice in the head and “finished off” the victim by stabbing him in the neck. The victim was nearly decapitated. The defendant stated after he stabbed the victim, he placed a knife in the victim’s hand and then called 911.
Per Montgomery County: On Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m., Councilmember Kate Stewart and Council President Evan Glass will host a community conversation on safety in Silver Spring. The event will begin at 3 p.m. and will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD. The event will include a panel discussion on gun safety and safety improvements in downtown Silver Spring, a discussion with community residents and a safety walk. Councilmembers Stewart and Glass will be joined by nonprofit partners, public safety and local business leaders.
“We are gathering for this event because like many of you, I want to make sure that Silver Spring continues to be a place where young people, children, families, young adults and older folks feel safe and enjoy all we have to offer,” said Councilmember Stewart. “Addressing the issues we are facing will require everyone to take part in solutions — Montgomery County leadership, partners in neighboring jurisdictions, our police, our businesses, non profits, and our residents.”
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable John Maloney, defendant, Julia Birch, 27, of Kensington, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of her 92-year-old roommate, Nancy Ann Frankel. Birch faces up to 40 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 29th at 10 a.m.before Judge Maloney.
On July 28, 2021 Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a residence on Spruell Drive in Kensington, Maryland for a death investigation. Upon their arrival, the complainant, 26-year-old Julia Birch, told officers that she had suffocated and killed her 92-year-old roommate, identified as Nancy Ann Frankel, who was found deceased in her bedroom. Birch had staged the body to look more presentable, laying the victim on a pillow, folding her arms over her chest, and putting perfume on her. This was after initially unsuccessfully trying to get the body back into her bed. Birch was taken into custody and transported to Montgomery County Police Headquarters to be interviewed. She admitted to killing Nancy Ann Frankel by trying to place a plastic bag over Frankel’s head to suffocate her, and when the victim poked a hole in the bag, Birch took her to the ground and strangled her to death. Physical evidence and autopsy confirmed the method of death. Birch admitted to then calling 911 to report the death.
Per MCPD: In a March 17, 2023 news release, United States Attorney Erek Barron, Montgomery County Chief of Police, Marcus Jones and other federal, state and local partners, announced the sentencing of 31-year-old Gregory Butler of Baltimore, MD to 30-years in federal prison. Butler was the leader of a criminal organization, named “NFL,” which operated across Maryland and neighboring states.
The criminal organization was involved in crimes such as distribution of cocaine and fentanyl and responsible for a number of murders and fatal drug overdoses in the region.