The Justice Department is holding the feet of a weak-on-crime Democratic prosecutor to the fire over an apparently discriminatory policy that requires special treatment for criminal noncitizens when making charging and plea decisions.
Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano, elected to office in 2019 with the help of backing from a pair of George Soros-funded organizations, has developed a reputation for failing to bring illegally present suspects to justice, in at least one instance with deadly consequences.
‘That’s a perversion of justice.’
For instance, Descano’s office dropped a felony charge last year against Wilmer Osmany Ramos Giron, an illegal alien from Guatemala who was accused of abducting and strangling the mother of his child.
Owing to a sweetheart plea deal agreed to by Descano’s office, Ramos Giron — who was previously deported on multiple occasions and arrested repeatedly on gun-related charges — served only two months at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
The light-touch from Descano’s office has also set the stage for tragedy.
Abdul Jalloh is an illegal alien from Sierra Leone who, according to the Department of Homeland Security, has been arrested over 30 times on charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pick-pocketing.
After Descano’s office dropped numerous cases against Jalloh — including two involving malicious wounding charges and another involving an assault and battery charge — the convicted felon allegedly stabbed to death an American citizen, 41-year-old Stephanie Minter of Fredericksburg, on Feb. 23.
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Abdul Jalloh (l), Wilmer Osmany Ramos Giron (R). Fairfax County Police Department and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, respectively
The Victims Rights Reform Council said in a complaint filed last month on behalf of the victim’s mother, Cheryl Minter, that police repeatedly warned Fairfax County prosecutors about Jalloh’s behavior prior to the stabbing, noting that he demonstrated a “blatant disregard for human life” and was a “danger to the community,” WJLA-TV reported.
A Fairfax County police major reportedly wrote to one of Descano’s underlings, Fairfax County Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jenna Sands:
I wanted to bring Mr. Jalloh’s release to your attention, because Mr. Jalloh is one of the repeat (and violent) offenders we discussed when we met. I wanted to get your background on why he is out so soon and ask if his prior suspended sentence (of I believe 5 years) was pursued by your office? Unfortunately, based on MTV Station’s numerous dealings with him, it is not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again. My role of keeping the public safe, prompts me to follow up on his status.
Jalloh was convicted of a malicious stabbing in 2023. Although sentenced to seven years in prison, he had five years suspended.
In a letter on Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon notified Descano that she has authorized a full investigation to determine whether his office has “engaged in unlawful discrimination in violation of Title VI and the Safe Streets Act and whether [his office] is engaged in a pattern or practice of law enforcement misconduct that deprives persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.”
Dhillon said the investigation centers on a policy requiring special treatment for illegal aliens that was authorized by Descano and adopted by his office in December 2020.
The controversial policy, titled “Guidelines for Plea Bargaining, Charging Decisions, and Sentencing,” requires that assistant attorneys consider:
- “Immigration consequences where possible and where doing so accords with justice”;
- “The collateral immigration consequences of the specific crime(s) the defendant is charged with”; and
- “The detrimental impact that deportation/removal has on the families and communities those removed or deported leave behind.”
This policy was hardly a secret.
Descano vowed on a recently scrubbed page of his website not only to provide a “safe place for everyone, regardless of their immigration status,” but to “take immigration consequences into account when making charging and plea decisions.” He added, “If two people commit the same crime, but only one’s punishment includes deportation, that’s a perversion of justice and not a reflection of the values of Fairfax County.”
While some Virginians — like Cheryl Minter — might prefer to see Descano prioritize throwing murderers, rapists, and other criminals in prison, the Democratic attorney noted that “avoiding the unnecessary destruction of [migrant] families and communities will be a top priority.”
Descano — who believes “tough-on-crime policies are short-sighted” — confirmed his receipt of Dhillon’s notice on Wednesday and stated, “My policies are fair, legal, and reflect the values of my community.”
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