Dana McDaniel has pleaded guilty to bribery charges. McDaniel, aged 44 and residing in Washington D.C., admitted to accepting a minimum of $10,000 in exchange for using her position as Deputy Director at the District’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) for the benefit of another party.
The announcement came from U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., alongside FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan, IRS Criminal Investigations Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon, and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for August 6, 2025.
Court documents revealed that McDaniel had served as Deputy Director of ONSE from January 2020 to April 2023. In her role, she was responsible for overseeing agency programs and services aimed at providing support to at-risk individuals in communities affected by violence in the District, including the Violence Intervention (VI) Initiative.
Further court details indicated that between September 2022 and at least August 2024, McDaniel had accepted cash payments from a Maryland resident. The money was intended to influence the direction of contracts and grants to two D.C.-based businesses linked to the Maryland resident. These businesses included one that identified as a community initiative serving high-risk youth and adults across the District and another providing VI services as part of ONSE's efforts in Ward 5.
McDaniel could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years. The final sentence will be decided by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal considerations.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office with significant help from IRS-Criminal Investigations and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca G. Ross, John Crabb, and Joshua Rothstein are prosecuting the case.