federal court | ALXnow

Trump-appointed prosecutor who pursued Comey indictment departs post after 120 days

Published January 21, 2026 at 8:15AM

FILE - Lindsey Halligan, special assistant to the president, speaks with a reporter outside of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Lindsey Halligan, who, as a hastily appointed Justice Department prosecutor, pursued indictments against a pair of President Donald Trump’s adversaries, is leaving her position as her months-long tenure has now concluded, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday night.

Halligan’s departure from the role of interim United States attorney for the Alexandria-based Eastern District of Virginia came as multiple judges were casting doubt on her ability to remain in the job legally following a court ruling two months ago that declared her appointment illegal.

News

AFD battalion chiefs not entitled to overtime pay, appeals court rules

By James Cullum

Published January 2, 2026 at 11:45AM

The Alexandria Fire Department responds to a blaze in the 100 block of E. Del Ray Avenue on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Battalion chiefs at the Alexandria Fire Department do not qualify for overtime wages, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on Wednesday, siding with the city and affirming a lower district court’s 2023 judgment.

The plaintiffs, 10 current and former AFD battalion chiefs, had sued the department for unpaid overtime wages. Chief Judge Albert Diaz issued the deciding opinion in the case, stating that the chiefs were exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act due to being “highly compensated employees,” a distinction that separates them from rank-and-file first responders under the city’s collective bargaining agreement.

News

Federal judge in Alexandria orders release of three immigrants arrested by ICE

By James Cullum

Published November 13, 2025 at 2:45PM

The statue of Justice outside the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A federal judge in Alexandria this week ordered the release of three young male immigrants from United States custody as part of a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.

In the case Sarmiento et al. v. Perry et al., it was announced Tuesday that two brothers from El Salvador, ages 19 and 20, were ordered to be released by U.S. District Court Judge Anthony J. Trenga, following their ICE arrests in Stafford County this past August.

News

Old Town property dispute, Alexandria firm wins DHS contract lead ALXnow’s top stories

By James Cullum

Published October 24, 2025 at 3:30PM

510 Wolfe Street in Old Town (courtesy photo)

It’s the end of the week, Alexandria. Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories.

The most-read story this week is about the potential sale of two large Alexandria properties that could settle millions owed to the government by real estate developer and former Connection Newspapers CEO Peter Labovitz.

News

Report: Alexandria real estate developer files bankruptcy, faces federal takeover of properties

By James Cullum

Published October 21, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated October 26, 2025 at 2:06AM

510 Wolfe Street in Old Town (courtesy photo)

The sale of two large Alexandria properties could settle millions owed to the government by real estate developer and former Connection Newspapers CEO Peter Labovitz, according to a report from the Washington Business Journal.

Similarly, if ALXNow hears anything from the DOJ or other governmental entities pursuing a case against Mr. Labovitz, and they happen to mention 1700 Diagonal, please inform them that he has no interests in that building and tell them to contact me at any of the contact methods in my below signature. I am more than happy to clear up any confusion.

News

Alexandria man sentenced 4 years for selling classified documents to Chinese agents

By James Cullum

Published September 4, 2025 at 5:45PM | Updated September 4, 2025 at 6:02PM

Michael Schena taking a photograph of a classified document while at his DOS desk on February 27, 2025 (redacted). (Via Department of Justice)

An Alexandria man has been sentenced to four years in prison for conspiring to collect and send the Chinese government national defense information.

Michael Charles Schena, a former South Caribbean Desk Officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs with the U.S. State Department, sent classified documents to individuals he believed were agents of the People’s Republic of China, and received between $13,000 and $37,000 in return, according to court records.

News

Maryland man sues Alexandria police officer, former chief over K-9 attack

By James Cullum

Published August 8, 2025 at 3:00PM | Updated August 9, 2025 at 1:22AM

The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A Maryland man who says an Alexandria K-9 officer injured him during his 2023 arrest has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against that officer’s handler and former Alexandria Police Chief Don Hayes.

William Kyle III claims to be the victim of excessive force by police after he was pulled over on July 15, 2023, near a northbound entrance to Interstate 495. Kyle alleges the actions of Alexandria Police Department officer Matthew Wilson and K-9 officer Ares resulted in what he describes as a “severe and permanent” injury to his right shoulder. It was inflicted after Kyle was handcuffed and in police custody, according to the civil complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

News

Alexandria man pleads guilty to defrauding pandemic relief programs of $1.5 million

By James Cullum

Published July 24, 2025 at 2:30PM

Outside the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

An Alexandria man pled guilty on Wednesday (July 23) to defrauding pandemic relief programs of nearly $1.5 million, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Dr. Muhammad Adil Quraish, 35, is a former Air Force dentist, and a financial advisor. Quraish admitted to conspiring with at least four other people to submit false Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and an Economic Injury Disaster loan, and using the funds to invest in cryptocurrency, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert of the Eastern District of Virginia.

News

BREAKING: ‘Shocking’ verdict after Alexandria Police Department officer awarded full compensatory damages in racial discrimination lawsuit against the city

By James Cullum

Published May 9, 2025 at 5:52PM | Updated May 10, 2025 at 2:34AM

Delton Goodrum (center) and his wife Lauren (on right) with the legal team after winning his racial discrimination case against the City of Alexandria, outside the Federal Courthouse in the city's Carlyle neighborhood, May 9, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

An Alexandria Police Department officer has been awarded full compensatory damages in his racial discrimination lawsuit against the city.

Delton Goodrum and his family erupted in tears of joy after the verdict was read. After a four-day-long trial before U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, the jury deliberated for less than three hours to find that then-Police Chief Don Hayes, who is Black, racially discriminated against Goodrum, who is also Black, in his years-long bid to be promoted to Captain. The jury found that Goodrum’s rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were violated and ordered that he be compensated $7.25 million, although awards in discrimination lawsuits under Title VII are capped at $300,000.

News

Youngkin’s order purging Virginians from voting rolls reversed in federal court in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published October 25, 2024 at 2:01PM | Updated October 28, 2024 at 1:39AM

The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A federal judge in Alexandria today ordered Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to restore the voting rights of more than 1,600 Virginians taken off the rolls just weeks before the Nov. 5 general election.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles said that Youngkin’s order on Aug. 7 systematically discriminated against Virginia residents within the 90-day “quiet period” before election day as outlined in the National Voter Registration Act.

News

Parking garage in Alexandria’s federal courthouse getting $11.5 million upgrade

By James Cullum

Published November 8, 2023 at 10:45AM | Updated November 8, 2023 at 1:46PM

The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria's Carlyle neighborhood (via Google Maps)

The deteriorating parking garage at the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse is about to get an $11.5 million upgrade.

The U.S. General Services Administration announced Monday that the courthouse parking garage, located at 401 Courthouse Square in the city’s Carlyle neighborhood, is one of 150 project around the country that will be repaired using “low-embodied carbon materials” via the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The courthouse repair will be made with carbon concrete.