Today, a federal jury found Anthony Merritt, 48, of Washington D.C., and Andrew De Moya, 54, of Temple Hills, Maryland guilty of bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud offenses arising from their scheme to bribe former D.C. Tax Official Vincent Slater, so that Slater would erase millions of dollars of their District tax liabilities. Sentencing for De Moya is set for October 17, 2023, and for Merritt is set for October 23, 2023, before Judge Reggie B. Walton.
According to the evidence at trial, De Moya paid Slater, a former employee of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR), to fraudulently eliminate tax liabilities of businesses owned by De Moya and others, including Arman Amirshahi and Charles Zhou. Anthony Merritt served as a middleman, whom De Moya and Slater relied upon to communicate with Slater and who facilitated the bribe payments. Merritt also took a cut of the bribe payments. Amirshahi, Zhou, and Slater all previously pled guilty for their roles in this and related bribery schemes and are awaiting sentencing.
The statutory maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years; for bribery, the statutory maximum penalty is 15 years; and for wire fraud, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years. A federal court judge will determine the appropriate sentence based on the guideline range and other factors.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the agencies who investigated the case, including the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Officer of the Inspector General, with substantial assistance by the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart, Amanda Rhode, and Mariela Andrade, and former paralegal specialist Aisha Keys.
Finally, he acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Christine Macey and Timothy Visser, who prosecuted the case at trial, and Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Miller and Molly Gaston, and former AUSA Amanda Vaughn, who investigated the case.