WASHINGTON, D.C. — A former Deputy Director at the District of Columbia’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) pleaded guilty Friday to accepting at least $10,000 in bribes to steer contracts and grants to businesses tied to a Maryland resident, federal prosecutors announced.
Dana McDaniel, 44, of Washington, D.C., admitted to using her senior position at ONSE to direct public funds toward two D.C.-based companies connected to the individual who paid her in cash.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said McDaniel served in her ONSE role from January 2020 to April 2023, overseeing programs such as the Violence Intervention (VI) Initiative, which aimed to reduce gun-related violence in the city.
According to court filings, McDaniel began accepting payments before September 2022 and continued through at least August 2024. The businesses that benefited from the bribery included one that marketed itself as a community-based initiative for high-risk youth and adults, and another that provided services under ONSE’s VI initiative in Ward 5.
“McDaniel accepted at least $10,000 in cash to direct contracts and grants to company,” federal authorities stated in the release.
U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for August 6, 2025. McDaniel faces up to 15 years in prison.
The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the IRS Criminal Investigations Division, and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General.
Key Points:
- Dana McDaniel, former ONSE Deputy Director, pleaded guilty to accepting at least $10,000 in bribes
- She directed city contracts to companies linked to a Maryland resident from 2022 through 2024
- McDaniel faces up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced in August