DC Man Accused of Pretending to Be Top Aide to Rep. John Lewis to Score Redskins Passes, Other Perks

Prosecutors said the scheme was executed between 2014 and 2015

What to Know

  • Jarrett Lewis is charged with false personation of a public official.
  • Prosecutors said Jarrett Lewis helped execute his scheme by adding the address of the congressman's D.C. office to his outgoing emails.
  • The congressman's staff was allegedly tipped off by the owner of a Miami bar about suspicious behavior by Jarrett Lewis.

A D.C. man is accused of pretending to be a top aide to U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) to score field passes to a Washington Redskins game and "special privileges" at a South Beach bar and lounge in Miami.

John Lewis is a veteran Democratic congressman and civil rights icon.

Federal prosecutors, in a court filing obtained by the News-4 I-Team, have charged Jarrett Lewis with false personation of a public official. In their court filing, prosecutors said Jarrett Lewis pretended to be Rep. Lewis' chief-of-staff in order to "obtain things of value."

In the same filing, they said the congressman's staff found out after they were tipped off by the owner of a Miami bar and lounge about suspicious behavior by Jarrett Lewis.

In emails seeking perks in Miami, Jarrett Lewis was falsely called the son of Rep. Lewis, according to the filing.

Prosecutors said the scheme was executed between 2014 and 2015. 

According to the court filing, "In September 2014, (Jarrett) Lewis contacted the Washington Redskins football organization, pretending to be the actual Chief of Staff for Congressman Lewis, explicitly invoking the Chief of Staff's position, (Jarrett) Lewis requested field passes for a Washington Redskins sports event for himself."

Jarrett Lewis works as a contracts manager for a Washington, D.C., nonprofit housing organization, according to the court filing.

He faces up to three years in prison and a fine if convicted of the charge.

Lewis is being represented by the federal public defender's office. His attorney did not immediately return requests for comment.

In their filing with the federal court in Washington, D.C., prosecutors said Jarrett Lewis helped execute his scheme by adding the address of the congressman's Washington office to his outgoing emails.

Michael E. Collins is the longtime chief of staff to Rep. John Lewis. Lewis, 76, has represented Atlanta in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987. Lewis was also a leading figure in the U.S. civil rights movement.

Contact Us