Northwest restaurant owner arrested for illegally selling alcohol, DC police say
WASHINGTON () — D.C. police announced that officers arrested the owner of a Northwest restaurant for illegally selling alcohol after their license was revoked.
In a news release sent out Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said that throughout 2023 and 2024, detectives investigated several violent crimes at, or 'directly related to,' Moi Moi, a restaurant serving West African cuisine in the 1600 block of K St.
Police noted that the crimes included a homicide, multiple shootings, assaults and Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) violations.
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In February 2024, the incidents caused the ABCA to revoke Moi Moi's license to sell alcohol. The administration also barred the restaurant's owner, Howsoon Cham, 54, of Silver Spring, Md., from acquiring another license to sell alcohol for five years.
Despite this, on Feb. 3 of this year, D.C. police responded to Moi Moi for a reported shooting in front of the establishment. A short time later, authorities said they learned that the restaurant had continued to sell alcohol without a proper license.
As a result of the investigation, on Feb. 15, officers arrested Cham, charging him with the sale of alcohol without a license.
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