The former general manager of Hank’s Oyster Bar in Old Town was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling $680,000 from the restaurant.
Claude Ibrahim, 53, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment after pleading guilty last fall to nine counts of felony embezzlement and eight counts of misdemeanor embezzlement. She admitted to creating “biographical and deposit information for five fictitious employees at Hank’s Oyster Bar and submitted biweekly timesheets for them while receiving their pay,” according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
“This sentence sends the message that large scale fraud will be treated seriously in Alexandria,” Porter said. “Over the course of several years, the defendant abused the trust placed in her by her employer and engaged in literally hundreds of illegal acts during the pendency of the fraud scheme. Such rampant criminality is deserving of a significant term of active incarceration.”
Ibrahim also admitted to updating the bank information for the fake employees, and also gave them raises.
Ibrahim was also sentenced to 12-and-a-half suspended years for each felony, as well as one year for each misdemeanor, on condition that she have no contact with the owner of the restaurant, pay back $591,000 (after she already paid back $90,000) and be on uniform good behavior for 20 years following her release.
Image via Hank’s Oyster Bar/Facebook
First National Bank held a ribbon cutting and grand opening late last week for its new location on King Street.
The bank is located at 704 King Street in Old Town in a 4,200-square-foot space that’s been empty since Nando’s moved out last July.
Banks have surged into the voids created when retail and restaurants have left. New bank locations have popped up around Alexandria, with a new Chase Bank opening just around the corner at the corner of King and Washington Streets.
A ribbon cutting for the new First National Bank location was held last Wednesday.
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny skies during the day with temperatures reaching a high near 92 degrees alongside a southwest wind blowing at 5 to 7 mph. The night will be mostly clear as temperatures drop to around 65 degrees, accompanied by a south wind at approximately 6 mph.
🚨 You need to know
Alexandria City High School (ACHS) student newspaper Theogony reported that an administrative shakeup at ACHS is creating some tension behind the scenes.
Theogony reported that, ahead of the opening of the new Minnie Howard campus this fall, the schools’ 16 midlevel administrators are having to reapply for current jobs after a restructuring. Those new jobs would have the same pay, but with additional tasks and requirements some don’t currently fulfill.
Among those requirements is an “administrative certification” which Theogony said was not previously mandatory for deans. An earlier year-long grace period that was promised to attain those credentials was reportedly shortened to 90 days.
The change received mix reception within ACHS administration. Some said the shakeup could get for the best, while others called it a “reckless move” in the middle of an already uncertain school year.
📈 Friday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 26, 2024.
- Washington Post food critic highlights favorite restaurants, including an Alexandria spot (1341 views)
- Road closures planned ahead of race through Old Town this weekend (1240 views)
- Victim of ‘suspicious death’ at Four Mile Run Park identified by Telemundo (1221 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
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Police continue to investigate two suspicious deaths in Alexandria this week — one in the Braddock neighborhood and another at Four Mile Run.
Telemundo reported the victim found in Four Mile Run as Kevin Isaías, but official identification from the police department is still pending the results of a medical examination.
Police also hasn’t released the identity of the victim who died at The Bloom at Braddock Apartments earlier this week. Scanner traffic indicated a man suffered a cardiac arrest in his apartment after being assaulted in the hallway of the building, but police have not released additional information about the death.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Notes: Starting July 1, all Virginia drivers are required to have vehicle insurance (18649 views)
- Old Town cafe and corner store Foxtrot closed as national chain implodes (12429 views)
- Motley Fool office building in Carlyle being sold off at a foreclosure auction (9332 views)
- Alexandria CVS stores ransacked of cosmetics and suspect gets busted in Maryland (8344 views)
- Alexandria sets its sights on Eisenhower Avenue overhaul (7385 views)
- More than $50K in luxury handbags and other items stolen from two consignments shops in Old Town (6349 views)
- BREAKING: Police investigating suspicious death at Braddock neighborhood apartment building (5387 views)
- YMCA in Del Ray temporarily closed after medical incident (3907 views)
- Robcyns is closing this Saturday in the Bradlee Shopping Center (3070 views)
The body of the man found at Four Mile Run Park on Tuesday has been identified as Kevin Isaías of El Salvador by Telemundo 44, though police won’t confirm the victim’s identity.
Telemundo 44 was the first to report the identity of the man, and was told by his family that he was a married father with a daughter and a baby on the way. The family also told the outlet that he left for work at 6 a.m. and that they were clueless as to what led to his death.
The Alexandria Police Department has released few details on the incident, except to say that they responded at 1:27 p.m. that day and found an adult male dead in the water in the 4100 block of Mount Vernon Avenue in Four Mile Run Park.
APD classified the incident as a suspicious death — the second to occur this week following Monday’s suspicious death of a 50-year-old man at The Bloom building in the Braddock neighborhood of the city. Police also did not answer questions on that incident.
Anyone with information on either of these incidents can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
A race through Old Town this weekend will cause some road closures on Saturday and Sunday.
The PNC Parkway Classic is scheduled for Sunday, April 28. The city said in a release that there will also be a couple of closures on Saturday — we’re told that’s for race setup near Oronoco Bay Park.
According to the release:
For the safety of those involved, there will be numerous road closures in Old Town beginning Saturday, April 27
at 8 a.m. through Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m.Saturday, April 27, 8 a.m. – Sunday at 2 p.m.
N. Union between Oronoco Street and Pendleton Street
Pendleton Street between Fairfax Street and UnionSunday, April 28
5 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.
Fairfax Street will be closed to through traffic between Canal Center and Pendleton Street for buses to shuttle race participants.6 a.m. – 2 p.m.
S. Washington Street closed from the city limit on the south side of the city to Washington and Gibbon7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Franklin Street between Washington and Union Street
Union Street between Franklin and Oronoco StreetThe start line for the 5k is at Oronoco Bay Park, the 10-mile run starts at Mount Vernon. There will be no parking on Mount Vernon and towing will be enforced.
Photo via PNC Parkway Classic/Facebook
Medians, reduced crossing distances and curb extensions are just a few of the roadway changes being proposed for four intersections with Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria.
The preferred design options are meant to improve mobility, safety and access issues at the intersections of Mount Vernon Avenue at Glebe Road, Russell Road, Executive Avenue, and Four Mile Road. The options will be presented at the Traffic and Parking Board’s April 29 public hearing.
The project would extend curbs, remove street parking, add crosswalks along Mount Vernon Avenue, as well as add a pedestrian refuge island at the busy intersection of Mount Vernon Avenue and Glebe Road.
The changes are part of the city’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate fatal and severe crashes, and construction is funded by the city and from a Virginia Department of Transportation grant.
There have been three fatal pedestrian crashes along Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria over the years. Changes have been proposed since 2016, when a study outlined needed pedestrian improvements. The 2021 Arlandria-Chirilagua Small Area Plan also recommended changes at the intersections.
The city was set to deliver the plan to the Traffic and Parking Board in January, but the city was delayed because it needed to “allow staff more time to finalize a few details and respond to questions that have been raised related to right of way, pedestrian crossing analysis, traffic analysis, and turning movements before getting an official concept design approval.”
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is the biggest winner of a 2.5 cent tax rate increase being considered by City Council, but it still falls short of the budget voted on by the School Board.
The School Board voted earlier this year to request $384.4 million from the City Council — $21 million more than previous budgets and double the budget proposed by Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt. Mayor Justin Wilson previously said that fulfilling that budget request would require an unprecedented 6-cent tax increase.
Of the roughly $11 million the city would gain from a 2.5 cent increase, the current Add Delete being considered by the City Council would send $8.7 million to ACPS — $4.7 million for capital contributions and $4 million for the operating budget. The additional funding to ACPS comprises 2 cents of the 2.5 cent increase.
The next most expensive projects being considered are $3 million for affordable housing projects and $3 million in contingency funding for mental health staffing.
According to a budget request submitted by City Council member Alyia Gaskins:
Fully funding the School Board Approved FY 2025 – FY 2034 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funding request would require the addition of $65 million for George Mason Elementary Hard Costs, Cora Kelly Elementary Soft Costs, and Cora Kelly Elementary Hard Costs. Budget memo #53 outlines that it would be possible to use a mixture of additional borrowing and pay-as-you-go cash capital to alleviate some of the longer-term cost burdens of borrowing. This $4.7 million is then intended to be used to increase cash capital to the Schools capital program and mitigate the amount of borrowing required for the additional $65.0 million.
Mayor Justin Wilson said there’s still uncertainty about how much ACPS will receive from the state budget.
The relationship between the City Council and the School Board has historically been tense, especially when it comes to budget discussions, and there was some reticence from the Council to hand over the majority of the tax rate increase to ACPS.
“Not to say that they don’t need it, but there’s need on the city side as well,” said City Council member Canek Aguirre. “There’s a lot of need on the city side we’re not addressing unless we kick it down the road to next year.”
Gaskins said she recognized that the funding to ACPS was a big ask, but that it’s one that’s desperately needed.
“I in no way deny that these are not significant increases,” Gaskins said, “but I think they’re trying two very important sides of what ACPS is dealing with on the capital and operating side.”
Budget adoption is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1.
Vermilion at 1120 King Street has some pretty prestigious fans.
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema shared a list of his five favorite spots around the area with an emphasis on international cuisine.
The last location on the list was Vermiilion, an Americana restaurant in Old Town known for its wine pairings.
Sietsema particularly praised the work of head chef Tony Chittum:
Seemingly overnight, Chittum jump-started the Old Town stalwart with dishes that marry local bounty with practiced creativity.
Fried oysters? Been there, done that, but never where the crisp oysters are staged atop shells filled with what tastes like Waldorf salad. Chittum’s salads are beautiful haystacks, one night speckled radicchio with sheeps’ milk cheese, chips of fried Jerusalem artichokes and folds of country ham. Sweet scallops share their plate with fritters that mimic scrapple, and even steak — straightforward steak — is elevated when the beef comes with a bright salsa and blue cheese suspended in tempura.
Sietsema also praised the aesthetics of the restaurant, from the brick walls to flickering lanterns.
The restaurant is open nightly for dinner starting at 5 p.m. The bar opens at 4 p.m. Weekend brunch runs from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Photo via Vermilion Restaurant & Bar/Facebook
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 66. Still mostly cloudy tonight with a low around 47, then cloudy again tomorrow.
🚨 You need to know
An Alexandria man was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing the scooter and phone of an Uber Eats driver in D.C., ABC7 reported.
The man and an accomplice approached a delivery driver outside of a Pizza Hut in Northeast D.C. last July. He and a few others surrounded the driver as he was putting his phone into the handlebars of his motorized scooter, then said that he had a gun.
The man took the driver’s phone and keys to the scooter, but tried and failed multiple times to start the scooter until he ended up dragging it away. ABC7 reported that the driver was able to flag down a police officer who, after a short pursuit, took the man into custody.
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 25, 2024.
- Crumbl Cookies coming to the Bradlee Shopping Center (1,447 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
