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MONDAY, APRIL 25 , 2022. WASHINGTONPOST.COM/LOCAL EZ RE B

JOHN KELLY’S WASHINGTON

Getting to the bottom of

who could take care of a

busted utility box took a

whole lot of calls. B3

EDUCATION

Military borrowers still

face hurdles when trying

to access federal student

loan forgiveness. B2

OBITUARIES

Dede Robertson, 94, wife

of the famed televangelist,

helped start the Christian

59 ° 68 ° 74 ° 68 ° Broadcasting Network. B7

8 a.m. Noon 4 p.m. 8 p.m.

High today at

approx. 4 p.m.

74

°

Precip: 0%

Wind: E

7-14 mph

BY TARA BAHRAMPOUR

Under a cloudless blue sky, a woman

in a yellow dress held a basket of freshly

baked sweet bread known as “paska,”

eggs dyed with onion skin into a deep

crimson, cheese, butter, pork fat and

kielbasa, symbols of indulgences that

the faithful had given up for 40 days

before the resurrection of Jesus.

To Solomiya Gorokhivska, 40, who

brought her basket for Orthodox Easter

celebration at St. A ndrew Ukrainian

Orthodox Cathedral in Silver Spring,

the moment felt bittersweet. The holi-

day symbolizes a new beginning after

the giving up treats such as meat and

music and dancing, she said, adding,

“After you suffer, it is a kind of a feast for

soul and body.”

But like many of the 1,500 people

from across the Washington region who

converged Sunday on the sloping lawn

behind the cathedral with a golden

dome, Gorokhivska was acutely aware

that for Ukrainians caught in the Rus-

sian invasion, the suffering did not end

on Easter.

“We cannot really celebrate because

we are still in that crucifixion stage,”

said the musician and mother of three

who moved to the Washington area

from Ukraine in 2008. “Cities are de-

SEE SERVICE ON B5

A celebration amid war, worry

For D.C.-area Ukrainians attending Orthodox Easter s ervices in Silver Spring, h oliday is bittersweet

BY STEVE THOMPSON

A prominent Maryland doctor

overseeing coronavirus testing at

Baltimore-Washington Interna-

tional Marshall Airport and other

sites in Anne Arundel and Prince

George’s counties was indicted

Tuesday, accused by federal pros-

ecutors of overcharging Medicare

and other insurers by more than

$1.5 million.

Ron Elfenbein, 47, has been a

frequent guest on local and na-

tional television news during

broadcasts about coronavirus

testing, treatments and vaccines.

At an August ribbon-cutting for

the clinic inside BWI, M aryland

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) presented

him a citation for his efforts

during the pandemic.

Now federal prosecutors say

that under Elfenbein’s direction,

clinics billed Medicare and other

insurers for coronavirus tests in

combination with “more lucra-

tive, but medically unnecessary”

services, according to a grand

jury indictment. These services

“were purportedly of a 30-minute

or longer duration, or involving

moderate or high levels of medi-

cal decision-making, but did not

in fact occur as represented,” the

SEE CHARGES ON B4

Noted

doctor

accused

of fraud

ALLEGEDLY CHEATED

MEDICARE, INSURERS

Md. physician oversees

BWI coronavirus testing

BY TOM JACKMAN

James and Kelly Ghaisar stood

in front of the Justice Department

again Saturday, as they have mul-

tiple times in the past. In the first

two years after their son, Bijan,

was shot dead by two U.S. Park

Police officers in 2017, they plead-

ed with t he department to indict

the officers, sometimes in a news

conference, sometimes holding

signs outside the entrance, some-

times marching around the build-

ing on Pennsylvania Avenue in

D.C. In 2019, the Justice Depart-

ment declined.

The following year, Fairfax

prosecutors indicted the officers,

Lucas Vinyard and Alejandro

Amaya, on a manslaughter

charge, and the Ghaisars had

hope. That case was suddenly

ended Friday evening when Vir-

ginia Attorney General Jason Mi-

yares (R), claiming exclusive au-

thority over the case, moved to

dismiss all charges against the

officers.

“We are outraged and disgust-

ed,” Kelly Ghaisar said. “Four and

a half years of coverup, hearings,

investigations, evidence, deposi-

tions, grand jury, and I’m here,

standing in front of you, fighting

my own Virginia attorney gener-

al. Why? Why does this case never

go to trial?”

Kelly Ghaisar implored the U.S.

Court of Appeals for the 4th Cir-

cuit, where the case now sits after

being dismissed by a district

SEE GHAISAR ON B4

Parents in

Park Police

case urge

DOJ to act

Emotional plea follows

Va. attorney general’s

move to dismiss charges

BY JUSTIN WM. MOYER

When Renee Burchard went to

work for the America 250 Foun-

dation in 2020, she was excited.

After a long career in politics and

nonprofit management, she had

the chance to work for a congres-

sionally funded commission

tasked with helping the United

States celebrate its 250th birth-

day, or semiquincentennial — a

commission that hoped to raise

$250 million.

But after working for the foun-

dation for less than two years,

Burchard resigned in December

and sued in February, alleging the

foundation had done nothing to

further its mission, instead cor-

ruptly funneling federal funds to

its leadership and favored con-

tractors in a toxic, sexist environ-

ment.

The complaint alleged “crony-

ism, self-dealing, mismanage-

ment of funds, potentially unlaw-

ful contracting practices and

wasteful spending.”

“This was run by a cabal,”

Burchard said of the foundation.

“Everything had to go through

the cabal.”

Burchard is one of four female

executives who filed a federal suit

against America 250 in February,

saying they had no choice but to

resign from an organization that

paid them less than male employ-

ees and ignored them when they

raised concerns about its purpose

and business practices.

The suit, which sought an in-

vestigation of America 250 and

lost wages, comes as members of

the commission and lawmakers

tasked with overseeing the com-

mission publicly battled the man

who runs it — an appointee of

President Donald Trump who

was left in place by President

Biden.

America’s big birthdays do not

come often — even some Gen Xers

have no memories of the nation’s

bicentennial celebration held in

1976. Thus, for the bash in 2026,
      Congress created the Semiquin-
      centennial Commission in 2016
      to mark “the national heritage of
      the United States of individual
      liberty, representative govern-
      ment and the attainment of equal
      and inalienable rights.”
      Filed in U.S. District Court in
      D.C., the suit recounted the for-
      mation of the America 250 Foun-
      dation — the commission’s “oper-
      ational arm.” Funded by appro-
      SEE FOUNDATION ON B3

Women sue America 250 Foundation

Four who resigned

allege mismanagement,

‘toxic’ work conditions

BY MEAGAN FLYNN

Don Beyer was running late,

but could you blame him?

“I ended up voting nine times

— actually 18 times,” the con-

gressman said, arriving at a cam-

paign forum at Makeda Ethio-

pian Restaurant in Alexandria

after casting votes for eight col-

leagues as their proxies on the

House floor.

The restaurant had the feel of a

polling place on Election Day.

Royal blue signs reading “RE-

ELECT BEYER,” the four-term

Democrat representing Alexan-

dria and Arlington, competed

with others in teal bearing the

name of a newcomer: Victoria

Virasingh.

She was Don Beyer’s first pri-

mary challenger in the eight

years he has been in Congress — a

bold move for a 29-year-old first-

time candidate seeking to oust a

longtime fixture in Virginia poli-

tics whom local Democrats often

described as “beloved.” In fact,

Beyer is the only congressional

Democrat in Virginia who is

facing a primary opponent this

year. Virasingh’s challenge, al-

though a long shot, had surprised

some and impressed others. She

mounted a ground game that one

observer described as tenacious

SEE PRIMARY ON B6

Va. congressman faces

rare but genial primary

V irasingh, 29, s ays

Democratic race is about

Beyer ‘passing the torch’

PHOTOS BY VALERIE PLESCH FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

TOP: The Rev. Volodymyr Steliac, who is also an Air Force chaplain, leads the Orthodox Easter

service at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral on Sunday. ABOVE: Parishioners bow their

heads in prayer at the service, where many were worried about r elatives in Ukraine.