WASHINGTON - Joseph Leaks, a 35-year-old man formerly of Northeast Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 24 years in prison for accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, escape, 2nd degree sexual assault, and firearms charges, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced.

Leaks had previously pled guilty to the five charges before Chief Judge Lee F. Satterfield of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Leaks' co-defendant and escape accomplice, Ricardo Jones, was previously convicted at trial of first-degree murder while armed, escape, and other charges, and has already been sentenced to over 62 years' incarceration.

As part of the plea proceedings, Leaks admitted that on July 6, 2005, Leaks' co-defendant, Ricardo Jones, murdered a man named David Valentine by firing a single shot into Valentine's chest, following an argument between Valentine, Jones, and Leaks. Immediately after the shooting, Leaks assisted Jones with his escape from the scene of the murder. In the weeks that followed, Leaks continued to provide assistance to Ricardo Jones, first by hiding out with Jones at an apartment in Silver Spring, MD, and then by meeting up with Jones in North Carolina.

While in North Carolina, Leaks assisted Ricardo Jones in avoiding detection by law enforcement by (1) obtaining a room at the Travelodge in Greensboro, NC, under a false name; (2) allowing Ricardo Jones to stay with him at the room in the Travelodge; (3) putting Ricardo Jones in contact with individuals from Reidsville, NC, who the defendant met through a telephone "chat line," and who, in turn, provided the defendant and Jones with a place to stay in Reidsville, NC; (4) falsely introducing Ricardo Jones to the individuals in Reidsville as defendant's brother, "Rodney"; and (5) joining Ricardo Jones in committing an armed robbery and shooting on August 5, 2005, at the Check-Into-Cash, a check-cashing business in Greensboro, NC, which netted several thousands of dollars for both defendants.

Leaks was arrested in this case on August 17, 2005, when he returned to the Washington, D.C. area from North Carolina. After his arrest, on or about August 24, 2005, the defendant learned that a minor witness had received a subpoena to testify before a Superior Court grand jury that was investigating the death of David Valentine. Upon learning that the minor had been served with a grand jury subpoena, on or about August 24, 2005, Leaks, who was incarcerated at the Central Detention Facility (the D.C. Jail), called the minor and told her to falsely say that he (the defendant) had pulled out a cell phone, not a gun, before the Valentine shooting. Leaks also asked her to lie to investigators about her age; to tell investigators that Leaks had a gun out when Jones told Leaks to get in the car after the shooting; and otherwise deny knowledge of the Valentine murder.

Leaks also admitted as part of the plea that from on or about September 2004 to July 2005, he, an adult male, engaged in sexual contact, that is, sexual intercourse, with the minor witness, a 14-year-old girl, whom he was more than four years older, both before and after becoming aware that she was 14 years old.

Finally, Leaks was sentenced today for his role in the June 3, 2006, prison break from the D.C. Jail. During the trial of Leaks' co-defendant, Ricardo Jones, the evidence showed that on the morning of Saturday, June 3, 2006, approximately two weeks after the return of the grand jury's indictment in this case, Leaks and Jones, who were incarcerated at the D.C. Jail, managed to meet up with one another inside the facility. The two men then shed their orange prison-issued jumpsuits, donned what appeared to be dark blue release jumpsuits, and used a floor buffer to smash out a second-floor window in the warden's office. Leaks and Jones jumped through the shattered window to the ground, and then they fled on foot. A massive manhunt followed, directed by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF), a multi-agency task force led by the U.S. Marshal's Service. The CARFTF apprehended Joseph Leaks later that very same day, on June 3, 2006, at a hotel in Alexandria, VA. The CARFTF located and arrested the defendant, Ricardo Jones, the following day, on June 4, 2006, in Seat Pleasant, MD.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Taylor praised the collective and cooperative efforts of the many law enforcement agencies that worked together to investigate and prosecute the case against Leaks and Jones, and to apprehend the two dangerous fugitives following their escape from the D.C. Jail. Specifically, the U.S. Attorney commended the outstanding work of the following individuals and their respective agencies:

• From the Greensboro (North Carolina) Police Department: Detectives John Slone and George Marks (now retired); and Forensic Specialist Rebecca Heinrich, who is now a latent print examiner in Wake County, North Carolina;

• From the Guilford County (North Carolina) District Attorney's Office: Assistant District Attorney William Wood, who is handling the investigation of the related August 5, 2005, shooting in Greensboro;

• From the CARFTF: Inspector Thomas O'Brien and Deputy U.S. Marshals Marty Flynn and Rich Kelly of the U.S. Marshal's Service; Detective Jack Reese and Sergeant Butch Darley of the Metropolitan Police Department; and Officers Michael Clarke and Ronald Brady of the D.C. Department of Corrections.

• From the Metropolitan Police Department: Detectives Harbin Combee, Kimberly Lawrence, Lee Littlejohn, and Scott Gutherie, and Sergeant James Somers, all of whom were assigned to the Violent Crimes Branch during the investigation; Officers Gerald Wills, Tony Nawani, Keith Slaughter, Kevin Jeter, Ralph Nitz, Adrian Lancaster, and Nathaniel Covington, all of the Forensic Sciences Division; Officer Michael Mulderig (retired) of the Firearms Examination Section; and Officer Chris Johnson of the Fifth District.

Lastly, the U.S. Attorney praised the staff at the U.S. Attorney's Office, including Investigator John Regan, formerly of the Criminal Investigations Unit; Victim-Witness Advocates Marcia Rinker and Yvonne Bryant; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Cohen and David Saybolt, who prosecuted the case; and Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Vinet Bryant, who helped with the investigation.
.