In a closing act of justice, Arman Amirshahi, 46, snagged three years probation and a 200-hour community service sentence for his involvement in a cash-for-clemency corruption plot against the District's coffers. According to the Department of Justice, the man took part in one of several schemes that put approximately $3 million beyond the District of Columbia's reach. Co-conspirators Anthony Merritt and Vincent Slater, a former D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue manager, were the brains behind the operation, which saw four businessmen pay for lighter or obliterated tax burdens.
Merritt, putting on airs as a licensing and permit expediter, led the businessmen, including Amirshahi, to the illicit bargain. As a go-between facilitating monetary malfeasance, Merritt carted the cash to Slater, effectively inserting a layer of buffer between the briber and the bribed. Merritt's role didn't save him from hefty consequences, however, as he faces a stern 110-month prison stint for his central involvement, said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, but the former D.C. worker wasn't alone in his descent, sentencing for the remaining defendants varied based on their complicity.
Slater bagged 27 months behind bars, while Charles Zhou, who turned government witness early on, got off with five years of probation. Andre De Moya is looking at 30 months of jail time, and Davoud Jafari will contemplate his choices during a 24-month sentence. In addition to jail time, or probation, each one has been ordered to write a check of restitution and to renounce their ill-gotten gains, where applicable.
In a silver lining scenario for high-rolling venues like Echostage, plus a roster of downtown bars and clubs that includes Eden — formerly Eyebar — and Ultrabar, their tax schemes have been cut short. But the district’s finances bear the brunt of their fiscal charades. Amirshahi, meanwhile, will serve his first year of probation confined to his home unless involved in work, religious ceremonies, medical appointments, or other approved outings as reported by a Justice Department release.
A tip of the hat went to the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the D.C. Office of the Inspector General, the D.C. Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight, among others who toiled over the case. Their diligence is a stark reminder of the unseen work that untangles the webs of corruption, ensuring that, at least for a time, the citizens of the District of Columbia can trust in a cleaner system.
