Arlington County VA Government Justice Matters Update

Dear Friends,  

I’ve been hearing so much lately about the notion of the “rule of law” and thinking about what it means to say that we uphold and value the rule of law.  The rule of law is the bedrock of democratic government because the rule of law imposes modesty and restraint on the exercise of government power over people’s lives, liberty, and property.  And in democratic government committed to the rule of law, few actors are invested with and exercise as much power and, therefore, are in greater need of modesty and restraint than prosecutors and law enforcement.  And by modesty and restraint I do not just mean personal modesty and restraint, but also and even more importantly institutional modesty and restraint.

In our office, some of the institutional restraints we’ve implemented and for which we’ve advocated include, among others:

• Refraining from asking for cash bail – so people who can be safely released do not continue to be incarnated, without regard to their wealth (or lack thereof); 
• Abolition of the death penalty – so people are not coerced into pleading guilty on pain of death; 
• Codifying the standard for evaluating lethal use of force by law enforcement under criminal law – so law enforcement is held accountable if they engage in wrongdoing; 
• Refraining from use of peremptory strikes – so everyone can discharge their civic duty to serve on a jury and to ensure implicit biases do not taint the jury selection process; and 
• Providing full and timely discovery – to ensure due process rights of defendants are respected and they have a full and fair opportunity to defend their case.  
  
  

We’ve kept faith with these policies because, even when – particularly when -- individuals commit crimes, the rule of law is designed to protect the very people society sometimes deems undeserving of compassion and mercy.  We've kept faith with these policies because ensuring accurate and fair trials is better for victims.  We've kept faith with these policies because ensuring fairness and transparency in the system builds trust with the communities we serve.  We’ve kept faith with these policies and the rule of law because, as James Baldwin, writes, “if a society permits one portion of its citizenry to be menaced or destroyed, then, very soon, no one in that society is safe. The forces thus released in the people can never be held in check, but run their devouring course, destroying the very foundations which it was imagined they would save.”

We recently attended a survivor listening session organized by the Prosecutors Alliance and National Organization for Victim Advocacy designed to shed light on the power of survivor voices.

Survivors shared the importance of having their voices shape what safety and justice means for them, instead of that decision being made solely by the courts and prosecutors.  By centering victim and survivor voices, we can include them in the process from start to finish, which provides space for everyone to have a seat at the table.  Fair and just prosecution is what we strive for in our office, and ensuring that survivors and victims have the opportunity to share what justice means to them is a crucial part of the outcome and judicial process.

Many thanks to Prosecutors Alliance and the National Organization for Victim Advocacy for hosting this powerful listening session.  We acknowledge and deeply appreciate their transparency and courage to meet with us, to speak up, and provide invaluable advice for us to bring forth in our efforts to keep our community safe and victims centered.

“As prosecutors, we are proud that our mission is ‘to do the right thing,’ but we have too often viewed victims as a monolith,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Dehghani-Tafti. “Only through actively listening to victims and survivors can we center their voices, build trust, foster transparency, and demonstrate a commitment to restorative practices.  This approach not only strengthens community confidence but also leads to more balanced outcomes that respect both accountability and healing in a system that has for too long used only the tool of punishment.”

• Embezzlement & Uttering – On August 26, 2025, Adrian Turner pled guilty to five felony embezzlement and uttering charges based on a financial scheme that defrauded the American Institute of Cancer Research and the Joy & Love Day Care center.  He was sentenced to a total of seven years, with five and a half of those years suspended, conditioned on restitution payments, victim impact panels, and five years of active supervised probation.  This case involved a strategic effort to fraudulently impact the finances of two important organizations that operate on a benevolent level to provide help and care for vulnerable individuals, in this community and others.  During Mr. Turner’s plea and sentencing hearings, he spoke with great remorse, understanding of how his behaviors carried great consequence to others, and how his past decisions would not define him into the future.  His acceptance of responsibility and desire to try and make those organizations whole will be carried into a lengthy probationary period following his release from incarceration.
  

  • Victim Impact panels consist of thirteen Listen and Learn programs that are built around ten (10) core crime topics, in increasing severity:

    Property Crime, Assault, Robbery, Hate & Bias, Gang Crime, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse & Neglect, Intimate Partner Violence, Drunk & Impaired Driving, Homicide

    Each class is about two and a half hours, and the program aims to educate participants about victimization and the ripple effect of every crime. Through discussions, individual and group activities, as well as current local statistics, Victim Impact helps participants gain a better understanding of how crime effects everyone.

• Grand Larceny Auto, Hit and Run, Unlawful Wounding, & Eluding – On November 6, 2025, Darell Caldwell pled guilty to five total felonies relating to a large-scale vehicular spree in August of 2023.  His sentencing hearing is set in January, and he is facing between four and ten years of active confinement as well as additional terms with any remaining sentence suspended.  This case involved a slew of charges emanating from a PCP induced event that resulted in high levels of property damage to other vehicles, the theft of an ambulance, a high-speed chase through Arlington into DC, and severe injury to an elderly victim.  Following numerous conversations with the numerous police departments involved, and especially with the main victim who suffered a serious trauma, Mr. Caldwell agreed to plea guilty to five representative felony charges.
  
  
• Aggravated Malicious Wounding and Felony Hit and Run – On December 2, 2025, our office presented oral arguments in the case of Willie Clements v. Commonwealth before the Virginia Court of Appeals.  This appeal stems from a March 14, 2024 conviction by an Arlington County jury, where Mr. Clements was found guilty of Aggravated Malicious Wounding and Felony Hit and Run.  The evidence proved that Mr. Clements impersonated a rideshare driver, picked up the victim in Washington, D.C., and later threw her from a moving vehicle in Ballston before fleeing the scene.  Evidence at trial showed that Mr. Clements had searched the victim’s home address on Google while driving toward her residence in D.C.  The appeal raises a novel legal question regarding the use of Google search term warrants, an issue with growing significance in digital investigations.  Our office received special authorization from the Virginia Attorney General’s Office to handle the appellate argument.  Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Nassir Aboreden, who tried the case before the jury, also represented the Commonwealth during oral argument.  The case is now submitted and pending a decision by the Court of Appeals.

1. What is your role at the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney?

I prosecute, mostly, what I would call, Major Crimes.  I am assigned a wide range of cases: violent crimes, critical accidents, burglaries and robberies, financial crimes, etc., even some drug and gun cases. I get a great mix of things without having a discrete specialty -- which I love.  I enjoy motivating and helping the interns and new prosecutors that come through our office. I am also the primary prosecutor assigned to Falls Church.

2. What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?

Helping people.  Specifically, the individuals most affected by the criminal process. For better and for worse I can relate to a lot of the stories that being individuals into contact with our courts. Myself, my family, and friends have been through the vast majority of what people who participate in this system are going through, as victims, witnesses, and even defendants.  I frequently get nods of approval and support from members of the community, regardless of what brought them here.  It reinforces my personal mission to remember where I came from, protect the community, and to help those who need it most -- no matter what their circumstances.

The feeling that I helped someone, and the quiet votes of confidence from those affected, are the most rewarding aspects of my role.

3. What’s your personal mantra that guides your work?

"If you know from whence you came, there’s really no limit to where you can go." – Baldwin

One of several appropriate quotes from James Baldwin.

4. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I enjoy working out, officiating basketball games, reading and watching movies and binging with my fiancée, Krista. I just read Dan Brown’s book, The Secret of Secrets. I’m mostly into nonfiction, but over-the-top fiction is cool sometimes too.  I have never really developed the bandwidth to read the wizards & gizzards type of books, but I may check out Hunger Games or Dune or something similar soon.  I am a huge sports fan USC Trojan football and Lakers reign supreme.  However, I have adopted the DC teams, since this has become my new home.  I also love live music and shows.  Krista and I have been to several concerts, everything from Maxwell and the NSO at the Kennedy Center to Jon B. at the Birchmere (if you know you know).