Three Arrested On Charges Of Obstruction Of Justice And Perjury In Investigation Into Murder Of DEA Informant
Defendants Allegedly Provided False Alibi for Suspect
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Three people from Maryland have been arrested and indicted in connection with an ongoing Drug Enforcement (DEA) investigation into the 2008 murder of a DEA confidential informant, announced Ava A. Cooper-Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Washington Division Office and U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.
Arrested this week were: Keyla Clements, 35, her husband, Antoine Clements, 38, both of District Heights, and her mother, Vicki Gordon, 51, of Upper Marlboro. They are accused of obstructing justice by committing perjury or suborning perjury before a federal grand jury investigating the November 1, 2008 murder of Andre Hayes, 32, in Upper Marlboro. The defendants are accused of providing a false alibi for their family member, Weldon Gordon, 33, who is now charged with the murder. Gordon is awaiting trial in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice by tampering with a witness, tampering with a witness, victim or informant by killing, and unlawful distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base. Vicki Gordon is Gordon’s mother. Keyla Clements is Weldon Gordon’s sister and Antoine Clements is his brother-in-law.
The arrests followed the return of a federal indictment that was unsealed on June 8, 2011, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. All of the defendants were indicted by a grand jury on obstruction of justice charges. Vicki Gordon also was indicted for suborning perjury, and Keyla Clements and Antoine Clements also were indicted for perjury. The defendants made their initial appearances on the charges this week and were released pending a hearing on June 23, 2011. If convicted of the obstruction charge, the defendants face sentences of up to ten years in prison. The perjury charge carries up to five years in prison.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
