Attorney General Schwalb Releases 2025 Impact Report

Highlights OAG's Efforts to Protect Washingtonians’ Hard-Earned Dollars, Improve Public Safety, and Defend Home Rule 


Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today released the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) 2025 Impact Report, highlighting OAG’s efforts to protect the District and its residents over the last year, including securing $906.8 million in savings and benefits for DC – a 477% return on investment.

This includes:

  • $311.6 million in civil litigation liability avoided
  • $300.6 million in federal funding preserved through litigation
  • $131.1 million in tax revenue preserved
  • $47.5 million in recoveries, savings, settlements, and penalties for violations of DC law
  • $45.4 million in rent refunds, credits, and penalties secured for DC tenants
  • $7.7 million in unpaid wages, damages and penalties returned to workers and DC
  • $6.8 million recovered for civil rights violations
  • $3 million paid to residents and DC for consumer protection violations
  • $1.6 million for environmental violations
  • $1.5 million returned to DC residents through OAG’s Consumer and Tenant Response Program

“2025 marked the 10-year anniversary of the District and District residents’ having an elected, independent Attorney General fighting for them and their interests. A strong, independent OAG, accountable directly to the people, has never been more critical as our office serves as the last line of defense against unprecedented attacks on our rights, safety, and ability to govern ourselves,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “We are using the law to fight for all Washingtonians and to advance the public interest, and our results speak for themselves.”

The full report is available here. 
 

Additional highlights from the report include:

I. IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY 

OAG uses every legal tool available to make DC safer across all eight wards. Because DC is not a state, OAG’s local prosecutorial authority is limited to crimes committed by juveniles and certain adult misdemeanors. The federal government — through the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who is appointed by the President — is responsible for prosecuting all adult felonies and most adult misdemeanors, which make up the vast majority of crime committed in DC. OAG works to ensure that young people face swift and certain consequences when they break the law, support victims of crime inside and outside the courtroom, and make proactive interventions to improve public safety in all of our communities.

Through its District-wide public safety efforts, OAG contributed to a 29% reduction in violent crime, a 52% decrease in traffic deaths, and a 43% reduction in opioid fatalities in 2025.

Prosecuting Juvenile Crime

In 2025, OAG prosecuted 83% of all violent juvenile crime cases — including homicides, carjacking, and gun possession cases, including:

  • Over 92% of all juvenile violent assault cases
  • Over 86% of juvenile carjacking cases
  • 85% of juvenile gun possession cases

Holding Reckless Drivers Accountable

  • In 2025, OAG used its new civil authority under the STEER Act to go after dangerous out-of-state drivers who racked up thousands of traffic violations in DC. To date, OAG has brought STEER Act cases against 25 drivers who collectively owe $1,509,556 in traffic citations.
     
  • OAG also prosecuted 97% of DUIs and 93% of reckless and aggravated reckless driving cases under its misdemeanor criminal authority, contributing to a 52% decrease in traffic fatalities in 2025.

Holding Opioid Profiteers Accountable

  • OAG recovered $21 million from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family for fueling the deadly opioid epidemic in the nation’s largest opioid settlement to date. Every dollar will fund addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery in DC. To date, OAG has secured over $104 million for lifesaving opioid relief efforts.

 

II. DEFENDING HOME RULE AND DC RESIDENTS

In 2025, OAG filed dozens of lawsuits and legal briefs combating the federal government’s illegal actions, including challenges to reverse the mass firings of federal probationary workers, suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, takeover the Metropolitan Police Department, and deploy the National Guard for local law enforcement purposes.

Through these lawsuits, OAG secured critical relief for the District and its residents and helped preserve access to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, including:

  • $200 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for safety and mobility upgrades along major traffic corridors and bridge and roadway repairs.
     
  • $50 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support disaster mitigation and preparedness efforts in the District of Columbia.
     
  • $26.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education for high-impact tutoring, reading intervention school staff, and other educational services in DC.
     
  • $20 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in public safety funding for preventing and mitigating threats of terrorism.
     
  • $4 million in AmeriCorps grants to advance academic achievement, workforce development, and economic opportunity in the District.

 

III. FIGHTING FOR TENANTS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING

In 2025, OAG secured $45.4 million in rent refunds, credits, and penalties for tenants and DC. 

  • $41 million judgment – the largest housing conditions judgment in DC history – to address horrific housing conditions at Marbury Plaza in Ward 8.
     
  • $6.8 million judgment against a DC slumlord with over 8,700 housing code and toxic lead violations. (Note that after subsequent bankruptcy proceedings, tenants and DC will receive $4.2 million. Tenants will still receive full refunds).
     
  • OAG reached the first settlement in its landmark case against DC’s “housing cartel” – 14 of DC’s largest landlords and software company RealPage who colluded to illegally inflate rent prices across the District in violation of local antitrust laws.

 

IV. SUPPORTING KIDS AND FAMILIES

  • Increased the amount of money that families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) get through child support payments from $150 to $200 per month.
     
  • Connected 1,318 non-custodial parents with work opportunities and services through OAG’s Alternative Solutions Center (ASC).
     
  • Placed 147 children from the foster care system in safe, loving, and permanent homes through family reunification, adoption, permanent legal guardianship, or custody arrangements.
     
  • Honored 26 youth and emerging adults from across the District at its annual Right Direction Awards, which celebrate the resilience, leadership, and achievements of young people in DC, as well as exceptional adults who support and empower our youth.

 

V. PROTECTING DC WORKERS

In 2025, OAG returned $7.7 million in unpaid wages, damages, and penalties to workers and DC.

  • Recovered over $2.4 million from Brothers Mechanical, Christian Siding, and Diverse Masonry for misclassifying construction workers as independent contractors — depriving them of overtime pay, paid sick leave, and critical workforce protections.
     
  • Reached a historic settlement with the National Women's Soccer League following serious abuse allegations to create a $5 million compensation fund and adopt new, league-wide safety policies to protect players.
     
  • Addressed worker rights violations at 14 restaurants by providing $236,359 in restitution and restoring paid sick leave for over 500 restaurant workers in DC.
     
  • Secured $3.95 million from Amazon to resolve allegations the company stole tips meant for Amazon Flex delivery drivers.
     
  • Secured $215,000 for 300+ hotel housekeepers in DC after their companies failed to pay proper overtime pay for overtime hours.

 

VI. COMBATING FRAUD AND PREDATORY BUSINESS PRACTICES

  • Sued cryptocurrency ATM operator Athena for facilitating scams that target elderly DC residents, charging massive hidden fees, and refusing refunds to seniors who were scammed out of their hard-earned dollars.
     
  • Recovered over $316,000 from pharmaceutical manufacturer Gilead for defrauding DC’s Medicaid program by paying lavish kickbacks to health providers who prescribed its HIV medications.
     
  • Sued the former director of the H Street Community Development Corporation for misappropriating more than $1.25 million in nonprofit funds by illegally diverting funds meant to support H Street for personal gain through unauthorized bonuses.
     
  • Filed a lawsuit against a nonprofit and its CEO to recover more than $250,000 in misused violence interruption grant funds intended for Ward 8 after OAG detected improprieties, terminated the grant, and provided the organization multiple opportunities to justify its actions.

OAG’s Consumer and Tenant Response Team, a free mediation service that works to resolve issues between DC residents and businesses or landlords without going to court, responded to over 9,300 requests for help and recovered more than $1.5 million through one-on-one mediations for District residents.

 

VII. PROTECTING DC'S ENVIRONMENT

  • Sued the federal government for polluting the Anacostia River for over a century and a half by releasing dangerous toxic substances into the water at several federal facilities along the river.
     
  • Required Washington Gas to take new measures to stop the ongoing pollution of the Anacostia River after the company failed to prevent toxic chemicals at its former East Station gas plant from contaminating the water and soil.
     
  • Secured the permanent conservation of protected wetlands adjacent to the Anacostia River in Ward 7 and required a developer who illegally drained the wetlands during past construction to pay $200,000 in penalties.

 

VIII. SERVING AS DC’S LAWYER

As the District’s Chief Legal Officer, OAG defends DC in civil lawsuits, defends its laws against legal challenges, and provides legal advice to DC leaders, lawmakers, and agencies. Through these efforts, OAG saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year that can then directly help fund critical government programs and services, including our schools, public transit, health care services, and fire and police emergency service departments.

In 2025, OAG:

  • Secured nearly $907 million in savings and benefits for DC.
     
  • Handled nearly $6 billion in government contracts.
     
  • Saved $125 million in real estate property taxes.
     
  • Saved $29.1 million in eminent domain, affordable dwelling unit, and bankruptcy cases.
     
  • Defended $6 million in transfer and recordation tax challenges.
     
  • Responded to 160+ confidential requests for legal advice.
     
  • Defended 900+ cases on behalf of the District with a 98% win rate.
     
  • Reviewed 560+ bills and rulemakings for legal sufficiency.
     
  • Reviewed nearly 50 memoranda of understanding and other agreements for legal sufficiency.
     
  • Brought 97 enforcement actions against unlicensed cannabis stores.
     
  • After rejecting an initial proposal to transfer valuable property for only $1, negotiated a revised Providence Hospital redevelopment deal in Ward 5 that secures a $5 million contribution for health care services in DC, transfers medical equipment worth millions to the District, and includes plans for a new urgent care center on the site.
     
  • Successfully defended a challenge to the District's award of its Managed Care contracts to prevent a disruption in healthcare services for thousands of low-income DC residents.

Our 2025 Impact Report is also available to read in Spanish.