WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- A former D.C. official pled guilty to a federal bribery charge in the U.S. District Court Friday, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USADC). Court documents say Dana McDaniel, 44, former deputy director at the District’s O ffice of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE), pled guilty to accepting at least $10,000 in bribes. Do violence interrupters work in DC? A study hopes to answer that. According to court documents, McDaniel served as the Deputy Director of ONSE from January 2020 to April 2023. In the role, she managed agency programming and community-based services for at-risk individuals in at-risk communities impacted by violence in D.C., including the Violence Intervention (VI) Initiative. Court documents show, before September 2022 and continuing through at least August 2024, a Maryland resident paid McDaniel at least $10,000 to direct contracts and grants to two different D.C.-based businesses associated with the resident. The companies included a community-based initiative to serve high-risk youths and adults and a VI services company through ONSE’s VI initiative in Ward 5. Violence interrupter, DC man charged with first-degree murder in H Street lounge shooting According to the USADC, McDaniel faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. Her sentencing is set for August 6, 2025.         ...read more read less