The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it is opening a probe into Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and his office, focusing on policies tied to plea deals, charging decisions, and sentencing practices that critics say have repeatedly allowed dangerous offenders back onto the streets.
Descano responded publicly on X, defending his record and insisting his office’s policies are lawful and aligned with local voters.
“My policies are fair, legal, and reflect the values of my community,” Descano wrote.
But the federal scrutiny comes after years of mounting criticism over a series of violent cases in which prosecutors either reduced charges, declined prosecution, or agreed to plea deals that opponents argue placed public safety at risk.
Several of those cases have become flashpoints in Fairfax County politics.
Today, I received notice of a Department of Justice investigation into my office regarding one of our policies. My policies are fair, legal, and reflect the values of my community.
— Fairfax DA Steve Descano (@FairfaxCountyCA) May 6, 2026
One of the most heavily scrutinized involved Abdul Jalloh, a man Fairfax County police reportedly warned prosecutors about multiple times. According to officials, police alerted Descano’s office in November that Jalloh had a violent history and posed a danger to the public. Despite what police described as numerous prior interactions and criminal incidents, prosecutors repeatedly dropped charges and released him.
Three months later, Jalloh allegedly stabbed and killed Stephanie Minter at a Fairfax bus stop.
Another case involved Marvin Morales Ortez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who faced a first-degree murder charge in 2021. Descano’s office entered a nolle prosequi, effectively declining to prosecute the murder charge. Prosecutors also reportedly refused to pursue multiple other charges dating back to 2020.
Then, in December, prosecutors dropped attempted murder and gun charges against Ortez and released him. The next day, authorities say, he killed another man.
Critics have also pointed to the handling of Denis Humberto Navarette-Romero, another illegal immigrant accused of raping a woman on a Fairfax running trail in 2024. Two years earlier, Navarette-Romero had been charged with felony assault on a police officer after allegedly attacking an officer responding to a groping complaint. Descano’s office later reduced that charge to misdemeanor simple assault.
Another controversial plea deal involved Wilmer Osmany Ramos Giron, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala charged with serious felonies including abduction by force and felony strangulation. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the felony charges in exchange for a misdemeanor conviction involving brandishing a blade, reducing potential prison time dramatically.
Descano’s office defended the agreement by saying the resolution reflected the victim’s wishes and her desire to avoid a felony conviction for Giron.
But the victim later disputed that account publicly, telling local media she feared for her safety and believed Giron should have served the original prison sentence prosecutors discussed with her. She said she warned prosecutors that Giron continued harassing her and later described the outcome by saying he “got off easy.”
Two additional cases involving illegal immigrants Maldin Anibal Guzman and Wis Alonso Sorto-Portillo intensified criticism of Descano’s office. The pair admitted involvement in the fatal stabbing of Nicacio Hernandez Gonzalez in 2024. Despite facing potential 25-year sentences, prosecutors negotiated plea deals resulting in five-year sentences with credit for time served.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office defended the agreement by arguing the case lacked physical evidence and witnesses were afraid to cooperate because the victim’s body was discovered in a creek the following day.
Critics countered that both men had confessed to the killing and already possessed criminal records. ICE had also lodged multiple immigration detainers against Guzman, which Fairfax County authorities declined to honor.