United States v. Grabinski

CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedJanuary 16, 2026
DocketCriminal No. 2025-0019
StatusPublished

This text of United States v. Grabinski (United States v. Grabinski) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Grabinski, (D.D.C. 2026).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ) ) v. ) Criminal Case No. 25-19 (RJL) ) BENJAMIN GRABINSKI, ) ) Defendant. ) ) ~ MEMORANDUM OPINION January~ 2026 [Dkt. #25]

Before the Court is defendant Benjamin Grabinski's motion to dismiss the

indictment in this case for failure to prosecute and for violations of the Speedy Trial Act,

18 U.S.C. § 3161; the Insanity Defense Reform Act, 18 U.S.C. § 4241; and the Sixth

Amendment. Mot. to Dismiss [Dkt. #25]. Upon consideration of the parties' briefing, the

oral argument held on December 11, 2025, and the relevant law, I will GRANT

defendant's motion to dismiss and the Indictment will be DISMISSED with prejudice.

I. BACKGROUND

Defendant is charged by indictment with attempted destruction of property used by

foreign governments and attempted arson. Indictment, United States v. Grabinski

("Grabinski If'), No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #1]. As detailed in my previous opinion granting the

Government's motion for pretrial detention, see Mem. Opinion, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #16],

these charges stem from allegations that defendant threw an unlit Molotov cocktail at the

Embassy of the Peoples' Republic of China in June 2022. One month earlier, defendant

allegedly threw a rock at the Embassy, yelling to a police officer stationed nearby, "[n]ext

1 time, it's going to be a firebomb." Id. at 2. Less than two weeks later, around 7:00 am on

June 9, 2022, defendant returned to the Embassy with a Molotov cocktail. He attempted

unsuccessfully to light the device and then threw it, unlit, over the Embassy gate. No one

was injured. He was stopped shortly thereafter by federal agents and arrested. Id. at 3.

Defendant was first indicted on June 17, 2022. See Indictment, United States v.

Grabinski ("Grabinski f'), No. 22-cr-221 [Dkt. #11]. In that case, defendant was detained

pending trial. See Order on Release Ruling, No. 22-cr-221 [Dkt. #10]. After his

indictment, the parties requested that defendant be evaluated for competency to stand trial.

He underwent a competency evaluation at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in

Chicago, Illinois, after which Magistrate Judge Meriweather found him competent to stand

trial and ordered his return to D.C. for further proceedings. See Mem. Opinion, No. 22-cr-

221 [Dkt. #25]. The parties then engaged in plea negotiations and began preparing for trial.

On January 10, 2024, after nearly a year's worth of delay, defendant filed a motion to

dismiss for violation of the Speedy Trial Act. On January 14, 2025, I granted defendant's

motion and dismissed the indictment in Grabinski I without prejudice. See Mem. Opinion,

No. 21-cr-221 [Dkt. #56].

As expected, defendant was re-indicted on January 16, 2025. See Indictment,

No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #1]. Like the first indictment, the second indictment charges him with

(1) attempted violation of protection of property used by foreign governments, in violation

of 18 U.S.C. § 970(a); and (2) attempted arson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i). Id.

Following a detention hearing on February 26, 2025, I ordered defendant detained pending

2 trial. See Mem. Opinion, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #16]. Trial was then scheduled for May 12,

2025.

On April 9, 2025, however, the defense filed an unopposed motion to refer

defendant for a competency evaluation. See Motion for Order of Competency, No. 25-cr-

19 [Dkt. #19]. On April 11, I ordered defendant committed to the custody of the Attorney

General for a psychological examination, after which the examiner was to file a written

opinion on whether defendant was mentally competent to stand trial. See Order (Apr. 11,

2025), No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #21]. The Order further excluded delays resulting from the

competency evaluation from Speedy Trial Act calculations. Id. To the extent the

Government sought to exclude additional time, the Court noted that the Government could

present arguments for exclusion in a motion or hearing. Id. at 3. Indeed, I ordered the

parties to "request a status hearing regarding competency at an appropriate time." Id.

In June 2025, the Bureau of Prisons ("BOP") finally completed its report finding

Grabinski mentally incompetent, and the report was published on the docket on August 5,

2025. See Sealed Competency Report, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #24]. In a status report on

August 4, 2025, the defense stated that BOP "recommended treatment to determine if

[defendant's] competency can be restored, but the [U.S. Marshals Service] has not

transported him to an appropriate BOP facility, but instead returned him to D.C." See

Status Report, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #23]. I then ordered the parties to submit a joint status

report by August 21, 2025 and directed the Government to provide its position on defense

counsel's request to transfer defendant to a treatment facility. See Min. Order (Aug. 14,

3 2025), No. 25-cr-19. The parties, however, never filed a joint status report, and the

Government did not provide its position until October 2025.

On October 8, 2025, after two months of inaction from the Government and with

still no status report, the defense filed a motion to dismiss the indictment for failure to

prosecute, for repeated violations of the Speedy Trial Act, and for violations of the Sixth

Amendment. See Mot. to Dismiss, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #25]. Minutes later, the Government

filed a status report agreeing with the evaluation that defendant is not presently competent

to stand trial and requesting that the Court find defendant incompetent and commit him for

competency restoration treatment. See Status Report, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #26]. In the status

report, the Government acknowledged that the Court had instructed the parties to file a

joint status report on August 21, 2025, but stated that it had "inadvertently failed to file that

report on that date." Id. Please!

The Government's response to the motion to dismiss was due October 22, 2025, but

the Government once again missed its deadline. On October 27, 2025, the defense filed a

motion to treat its motion to dismiss as conceded. See Motion to Treat as Conceded, No.

25-cr-19 [Dkt. #27]. On October 31, the Government finally filed its response in

opposition to the motion to dismiss, along with a motion for leave to late file. See Motion

for Leave to Late File, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt. #28]. The defense replied on November 3,

opposing the Government's motion for leave to file late. See Reply, No. 25-cr-19 [Dkt.

#30]. This Court has since granted the motion for leave to late file and accepted the

Government's response. See Min. Entry (Dec. 11 , 2025), No. 25-cr-19.

4 On December 11, 2025, this Court heard oral argument on defendant's motion to

dismiss. During argument, defense counsel argued that the case should also be dismissed

under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 48(b). The Court allowed supplemental briefing

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