FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 2, 2023

Defendant Screamed Racial Slurs and Intentionally Spit at Victim at Height of Pandemic

            WASHINGTON – Gueorgui Iskrenov, 33, of Washington, DC, has been found guilty on charges stemming from a hate crime in which he spit in the face of a female neighbor in Southwest Washington.

            The announcement was made by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Iskrenov was found guilty on February 1, 2023, of bias-related assault. The verdict followed a three-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in front of Judge Andrea Hertzfeld, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 9, 2023.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 20, 2020, at approximately 2 p.m., the victim, an African-American female, was walking her service dog and crossing the exit ramp of her apartment complex by the Wharf in Southwest, Washington. Iskrenov drove his SUV up the exit ramp at a high rate of speed, almost hitting the victim and her dog. After the victim told him to be careful, Iskrenov began screaming racist and sexist epithets. Iskrenov then intentionally spit into the victim’s face, with the spit landing on her glasses and in her hair. Iskrenov drove away and was arrested 23 days later after he was positively identified. The government’s evidence at trial showed that Iskrenov had a history of racist tirades against African-American neighbors. 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erica Rudolf and Katie Sessa, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Kubo and Travis Wolf who investigated the case.