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FBI: DC Fire and EMS employees arrested for allegedly taking bribes

Both employees have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has announced two D.C. Fire and EMS employees were arrested Thursday for allegedly taking bribes from a contractor. 

According to a release from the Department of Justice, 50-year-old Louis “Joey” Mitchell and 43-year-old Charity Keys are accused of taking payments from a D.C. contractor in exchange for directing purchase agreements and orders to the contractor. Officials also believe the pair then falsely certified that the goods that FEMS has paid for had been delivered. 

Officials at DC Fire and EMS say Mitchell, a FEMS warehouse supply technician, and Keys, a FEMS contract administrator, were arrested Thursday. Mitchell has been with the department for 15 years while Keys has been an employee for 24 years. 

According to court documents, the pair accepted bribes over the course of several years, including a bribe of $20,000 each, from the owner of a Maryland limited liability company contractually obligated to give items to FEMS and other D.C. agencies. Mitchell and Keys allegedly took the money in exchange for agreeing to buy orders from the company and confirm delivery of items that were never delivered.

Officials with D.C. Fire and EMS said in a statement sent to WUSA9 that the investigation into the pair started after Fire and EMS officials noticed "suspicious activity" within the Logistics Division in October 2019.

Both employees have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

“We are extremely disappointed about these allegations as we have zero tolerance for criminal conduct. The men and women of DC Fire and EMS work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to serve this community," Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr. said. "I applaud our employees who uncovered the suspicious activity and immediately notified law enforcement. That swift action was deserving of the trust our residents place in our Department.”

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The announcement capped a second harried day in the District for thousands of students and teachers who quickly evacuated their buildings.

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