Local
U.S. Attorney drops charge in D.C. gay drug bust case
Experts say could be indication scope of case widening
Police Chief Cathy Lanier. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The United States Attorney’s Office on Dec. 6 dismissed a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine against a gay man who was arrested Nov. 23 during a police raid on his house in the city’s Shaw neighborhood.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the office never comments on its reasons for dismissing charges but added that the investigation into the case is continuing.
A police arrest affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court says police arrested Nicholas H. Fittro, 27, and his roommate and boyfriend, Justin W. John, on Nov. 23 after entering their rented house at 901 S St., N.W., and confiscating just under 14 grams of a white crystal substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
The affidavit says police also confiscated two digital scales, $2,511 in cash, and an undisclosed amount of foreign currency and money orders.
Court records show the U.S. Attorney’s office dismissed the charge against John a short time after his arrest.
William Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, declined to disclose the reason for the dismissal of the case against John. But court records show that at the time of his arrest, Fittro waived his Miranda rights to remain silent before consulting with an attorney and “claimed ownership of the contraband which was recovered from inside his home.”
Miller said this week that the dismissal of the charge against Fittro on Dec. 6 appears to have been issued without prejudice, a legal status that allows prosecutors to reinstate a charge at a later date.
Fittro’s attorney, Marie Haldane, declined to comment other than to say she was “delighted” the government dismissed the case against her client.
Dale Edwin Sanders, an attorney who practices criminal law in D.C. and who reviewed the court records in the Fittro case, said a decision to drop the case while the investigation continues could mean prosecutors need more evidence or they are expanding the investigation with the intent of making more arrests.
“Continuing the investigation in a case like this usually means they are going after bigger fish or they need more evidence in this case,” Sanders said. “It would be a safe assumption to make that the investigation is broadening in scope.”
In a joint news conference on Monday, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier and officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration announced the arrest of 70 suspects for the possession and distribution of narcotics and firearms in D.C. They said the drugs and arms seized in the operation had a street value of $7.1 million.
The officials said city and federal authorities seized, among other things, about 80 pounds of methamphetamine in the crackdown. It could not be immediately determined whether the Fittro case was linked to this investigation.
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
District of Columbia
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
Three LGBTQ icons to lead parade
WorldPride organizers announced Thursday that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade.
The Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., revealed the honorees in a press release, noting that each has made a unique contribution to the fabric of the LGBTQ community.
Cox made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She went on to win a Daytime Emmy in 2015 for her documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” which followed seven young trans people as they navigated coming out.
Rapp, a singer and actress who identifies as a lesbian, rose to prominence as Regina George in the Broadway musical “Mean Girls.” She reprised the role in the 2024 film adaptation and also stars in Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” portraying a character coming to terms with her sexuality. Rapp has released an EP, “Everything to Everyone,” and an album, “Snow Angel.” She announced her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” on May 21 and is slated to perform at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds.
Deacon Maccubbin, widely regarded as a cornerstone of Washington’s LGBTQ+ history, helped organize D.C.’s first Gay Pride Party in 1975. The event took place outside Lambda Rising, one of the first LGBTQ bookstores in the nation, which Maccubbin founded. For his decades of advocacy and activism, he is often referred to as “the patriarch of D.C. Pride.”
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
The three will march down 14th Street for the WorldPride Parade in Washington on June 7.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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