WASHINGTON -Annabelle Liebsch, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for assaulting a Deputy United States Marshal during a court proceeding in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert Dixon, U.S. Marshal for the U.S. Marshals Service for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Liebsch was found guilty by a jury in September 2022, of felony assault of a law enforcement officer. She was sentenced by the Honorable Jason Park to a total of 36 months of incarceration; however, all but 18 months of that sentence was suspended pending the successful completion of an 18-month term of probation that will begin after Liebsch’s incarceration.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 2, 2022, the defendant was physically present in a Superior Court courtroom, before the Honorable Judge Thomas J. Motley, in a criminal hearing. At the conclusion of that hearing, Judge Motley ordered that she would remain detained. In response, Liebsch stated that she would like to “defect."
She then got up from the defense table and walked towards a door at the back of the courtroom. Judge Motley ordered Liebsch to sit back down. When she refused, a Deputy U.S. Marshal and a Court Security Officer in the courtroom attempted to calm her down and restrain her. Their efforts continued into a small vestibule immediately behind the courtroom at which point Liebsch repeatedly head-butted the Deputy Marshal, striking the top of his head with such force that it caused a severe laceration that bled profusely. The Deputy Marshal subsequently had to be taken to a hospital, where five staples were required to close the wound.
Liebsch has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Marshal Dixon commended the work of those who investigated the case from the United States Marshals Service. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Richard Cheatham and Theresa Nelson.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alec Levy and Shakinah Douglas, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
