District Man Convicted of Assault, Threatening to Injure or Kidnap a Person, and Intimidating, Impeding, Interfering with and Retaliating Against a Government Official

            WASHINGTON - Antoine Nicholson, 34, of Washington, D.C., was convicted at trial of intimidating, impeding, interfering with and retaliating against a government official, among other charges, for a firearm-related assault against a parking enforcement officer that took place in the U Street corridor on Aug. 12, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Nicholson was also found guilty of assault and threatening to injure or kidnap a person. The verdict was returned on Dec. 15, 2023, following a four-day jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 12, 2023, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Nicholson was illegally parked in a no-parking zone in the 2100 block of 10th Street N.W. His vehicle also had over $3,000 in unpaid parking tickets and had expired tags. The victim and his partner, both Department of Public Works parking enforcement officers, were patrolling the area. Due to the defendant’s parking violations, they began to impound the defendant’s vehicle, during which Nicholson approached the officers and cursed at them. In response, the victim explained to Nicholson why his car was being towed. Nicholson then went inside the driver’s side compartment of the vehicle, retrieved a handgun from the compartment, and threatened to “bust” the victim.

            Nicholson fled the scene and was apprehended by police approximately a half-mile from the location of the offense. Nicholson is scheduled to be sentenced by D.C. Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on March 8, 2024. For being convicted of Intimidating, impeding, interfering with and retaliating against a government official, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $12,500 fine. For being convicted of threatening to injure or kidnap a person, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Pamela Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s office. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmanuel Hampton and Kraig Ahalt, who investigated and prosecuted the case.