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.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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Comings & Goings
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BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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