Washington, D.C. (7News) — Let the good times roll at The Wharf’s Mardi Gras Parade & Festivities on February 22nd from 3-7pm!

Grab your beads, feather boas and masks…a group of your friends or family… and enjoy the free festivities! There will be a fabulous parade, live music, food, drinks and fireworks!

Roxanne got a sneak preview of the event from the Wharf’s communications manager, Mary Katherine Cusack, & Todd Thrasher, the Founder of Thrasher’s Rum & Tiki TNT. Roxanne even got a lesson in how to make a Hurricane!

Schedule of Events on Feb. 22nd:

3:00pm: Mardi Gras Activities Start

3:30pm: Parade Starts

4:30-7:00pm: Live Music Performances

~6:30pm: Fireworks!

To learn more about all the fun, go here

WASHINGTON – D.C. police are investigating a shooting that happened near a nightclub in Northwest D.C. this week.

One man was shot, and two others were hurt. 

What we know:

Police are asking for help finding the person who opened fire, shooting a man in the 1100 block of 18th Street, NW.

D.C. police say the trouble started when a large crowd started fighting outside a nearby club around 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, after an argument broke out inside the club.

Police broke up the fight, dispersing the crowd outside, but moments later, while officers were still on scene, gunshots rang out. 

Police quickly found the shooting victim, and they were immediately taken to an area hospital. The victim is expected to be ok. 

After searching the area, police found two more people who were injured, grazed by bullets.

Local perspective:

The general manager of Talking Tacos restaurant told FOX 5 that he saw the aftermath, and was concerned for his safety and his customers’ safety.

Police say officers detained some people after the shooting but no official arrests have been made. 

The investigation is ongoing. MPD is asking anyone with information about this shooting to give them a call at 202-727-9099 or text a tip to 50411. 

WASHINGTON – The D.C. Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit aimed at shutting down what officials describe as a sprawling real‑estate fraud scheme that exploits tenants, lenders and District agencies while worsening the city’s affordable‑housing crisis.

What we know:

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb alleges that Ali “Sam” Razjooyan, his brother Eimon “Ray” Razjooyan and their mother, Houri Razjooyan, have been running an illegal real‑estate network that controls dozens of apartment buildings across the District.

According to Schwalb’s office, the family has spent the past decade acquiring more than 70 mostly rent‑controlled buildings, 90% of them in Wards 7 and 8.

The lawsuit alleges that, through a Ponzi‑style operation, the Razjooyans use fake financial documents and false renovation promises to secure loans.

They would then rent them to tenants who receive housing subsidies that are paid by the District agencies and that are above the rent-stabilized amounts, officials said.

Instead of repairing the properties, investigators say the Razjooyans would keep the loan money and use it to pay off earlier debts and buy new buildings to continue the scheme.

Schwalb’s office says the scheme left hundreds of vulnerable tenants living in dangerous conditions, including infestations, gas leaks, electrical hazards, mold, flooding and piles of trash.

What they’re saying:

The lawsuit accuses the family of defrauding District agencies out of more than $16 million by falsely certifying that their units were safe and habitable, a requirement for receiving housing‑subsidy payments.

“Today, we’re dismantling the Razjooyan slumlord empire,” Schwalb said in a statement. “DC has a serious housing affordability problem, and slumlords like the Razjooyans make things worse by decreasing the available housing supply and forcing tenants to live in horrific conditions. Their business model, by design, preys on tenants for profit — cheating banks, private lenders, and the DC government along the way. Instead of addressing each building individually, we’re attacking the very foundation of their illegal operation. As the District’s independent Attorney General, I am committed to using the law to put an end to such fraud and exploitation and to protect affordable housing in the District.”

Read the lawsuit here.