Attorney General Schwalb Testifies at Office of the Attorney General's 2025 Performance Oversight Hearing

Testimony Highlights Public Safety Efforts, Substantial Revenues and Taxpayer Savings Generated by OAG


Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today testified before the DC Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, chaired by the Honorable Brooke Pinto, for the Office of the Attorney General’s annual performance oversight hearing. In his testimony, Attorney General Schwalb highlighted the significant financial return on investment that OAG provides. For example, with a budget of $153.7 million in calendar year 2024, OAG secured over $661 million in savings and benefits.

AG Schwalb also focused on OAG’s efforts to improve public safety, protect District residents, and promote healthier, stronger communities for all who live, work, and visit here.
 

Highlights include:

Public Safety. OAG’s line attorneys in the Public Safety Division prosecute every serious violent offense when we have the evidence to do so. Alongside MPD and other public safety agencies, OAG contributed to a 35% decrease in violent crime and a 15% decrease in crime overall, making 2024 the year with the lowest annual crime rates in DC in over three decades. Last year, OAG saw increases in both criminal and juvenile prosecution rates:

  • The number of adult misdemeanor prosecutions handled by our Criminal Section increased by 38% to over 3600 cases.
     
  • Our Juvenile Section papered and prosecuted more than 84% of the violent juvenile offenses MPD brought to our office, and 76% of all arrests presented to us, the highest papering rates in at least 5 years.
     

Defending the District. OAG continued to successfully defend the District against lawsuits which exposed the District to hundreds of millions of dollars of liability.

  • The Civil Litigation Division handled over 940 cases in FY24—more than a 20% increase from FY23—and, despite that increased caseload, successfully avoided over $300 million in potential liability.
     
  • The Tax and Finance Section defended challenges to over $66 billion in assessed property values allowing the District to retain over $180 million in real property taxes against claims for refund.
     

Protecting District Residents. Since becoming an independent agency, OAG has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in judgments and settlements in public interest affirmative enforcement actions. OAG’s affirmative public interest work not only provides tangible benefits to harmed, often vulnerable District residents, it also results in substantial financial recoveries, including:

  • $3.75 million from construction firm Power Design for misclassifying and denying sick leave to construction workers, the District’s largest-ever workers’ rights award.
     
  • $7.5 million from home renovation company Curbio, which was running a scheme that trapped homeowners, including many senior citizens, in deceptive, onerous contracts.
     
  • $40 million from Michael Saylor under the District’s False Claims Act for defrauding the District out of millions of dollars in income taxes by falsely claiming not to be a District resident.
     
  • $14 million, since October 2023, through an array of consumer protection actions, and our consumer mediation program was not only able to promptly address numerous issues confronting District residents but also able to return $1.1 million to District consumers.
     
  • Over $1 million to improve housing conditions at a 410-unit Ward 7 apartment complex.
     

Legal Guidance. In FY24 and FY25 to-date, OAG’s Legal Counsel Division provided legal sufficiency review for approximately:

  • 730 bills and rulemakings.
     
  • 50 memoranda of understanding and similar agreements.
     
  • 185 confidential requests for legal advice.
     

 Read Attorney General Schwalb’s full testimony here.