John Parker, a 23-year-old resident of the District of Columbia, received a 27-month prison sentence for distributing a designer synthetic stimulant known as "boot" near a school and for possessing a firearm illegally. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., along with FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan, United States Park Police Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith.
Parker entered a guilty plea on March 5, 2025, to charges of unlawful possession with intent to distribute N,N-Dimethylpentylone near schools and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to his prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb mandated that Parker undergo 72 months of supervised release.
Court documents revealed that on August 24, 2023, at approximately 8:30 p.m., officers from the U.S. Park Police observed an unidentified male approaching Parker near the intersection of 7th and H Streets, roughly 400 feet from a school. The male handed Parker an unspecified amount of cash in exchange for an unknown quantity of white powder. Officers then followed Parker into a nearby drug store where they apprehended him.
During their search, officers found a loaded Ruger LCP semi-automatic pistol tucked into Parker's pants. Previously convicted in D.C. Superior Court for carrying an unlicensed pistol, Parker also had in his possession a clear-knotted plastic bag containing a white rock-like substance weighing 54.6 grams, another plastic bag with 75 clear capsules filled with similar substances, six purple capsules each containing white rock-like substances, and $211 in cash.
The white rock-like substance tested positive for N,N-Dimethylpentylone after being sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lab for analysis. This case was investigated collaboratively by the U.S. Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department with support from the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Cole.