WASHINGTON - Ikela M. Dean, a former Contact Representative at the District of Columbia Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs ("DCRA"), Basic Business License Division, was found guilty today by a federal jury of one count of Receipt of a Bribe by a Public Official and one count of Extortion Under Color of Official Right, announced U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office.

Dean, a 32-year-old former DCRA employee, faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 of imprisonment for the extortion count and 15 years for the bribery count, and a fine of $250,000. Dean is scheduled for sentencing on February 17, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton.

According to the government's evidence introduced during the trial, during the period between July 2007 and September 2007, the defendant demanded cash payments from customers in return for performing her official duties of issuing elevator renewal licenses and other basic business licenses. As a result of her criminal conduct, several hotels, a hospital, a religious organization, and other non-profit organizations were forced to give into her demands for cash payments in return for obtaining elevator certificates and other licenses. With the assistance of one of the victim's representatives, the FBI recorded three telephone conversations during which Dean demanded cash payments in return for issuing business licenses.

In addition, the FBI also videotaped two meetings between Dean and a victim, in which Dean accepted cash payments for performing her official duties. Unbeknownst to Dean, one of the videotaped meetings was with an FBI undercover agent. The agent paid Dean with $1275 in marked money. In return, Dean provided the undercover agent a business license for a purported Billiard Parlor. The marked money was later recovered from a bathroom stall used by Dean while she was being interrogated by the FBI.

In announcing the guilty verdict, U.S. Attorney Taylor and FBI Assistant Director Persichini praised the outstanding efforts of FBI Special Agents John McNair, Larry Stewart, W. Eric Paris, Amanda Romek, Sean T. Ryan, and Jeffrey B. Williams. They also commended the efforts of Paralegal Specialist Diane Hayes, Legal Assistants April Peeler, Lisa Robinson, Sierra Tate, and Litigation Support Specialist Joseph Calvarese. Finally, they praised the investigative work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lionel Andre, who indicted and prosecuted the case.