Virginia Congressman's Son Pleads Guilty in Domestic Violence Case

Patrick Moran, the son of longtime Democratic congressman Jim Moran, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to simple assault stemming from a domestic violence incident earlier this month in Columbia Heights.

On Dec. 1, Moran and his girlfriend of six months, Kelly Hofmann, were arguing inside The Getaway in the Columbia Heights neighborhood over Moran talking to another woman, according to a police report supplied to Patch by the District of Columbia court system.

At 1:23 a.m. Dec. 1, officers saw the two arguing outside the club, in the 3400 block of 14th Street NW. Moran grabbed the woman by the back of her head and slammed it into a metal trashcan cage, the police report states.

Hofmann, in a statement obtained by Patch, said the police account of the incident was "inaccurate" — that one of her heels gave out and she fell.

The night of the incident, Hofmann was bleeding heavily from her nose, and her nose and right eye were "extremely swollen," the report states. She was transported to a nearby hospital. At the time, officers believed she could have suffered a broken nose and possibly a skull fracture.

Moran was charged with felony assault, domestic violence. Wednesday morning, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge — simple assault — in DC Superior Court, according to online court documents.

Moran was sentenced to 90 days, which was suspended. He won't have to serve time, but he will have to perform 50 hours of community service, pay $50 to the victim and complete a domestic violence intervention program.

Moran will remain on probation for one year. An order to stay away from Hofmann was lifted, though court documents state he is not to threaten, harass or assault her as a condition of his probation.

His conviction also prohibits from him buying or owning a firearm, DC Courts spokeswoman Anita Jarman told Patch. It wasn't immediately clear Wednesday afternoon how long the firearm prohibition will be effective.

"This was an accident that has been blown out of proportion," Hofmann said in a statement obtained by Patch. "The statements in the police report are inaccurate. Pat and I were arguing, one of my high heels gave out, and I fell into the side of a trashcan. On impact, I fractured my nose. False conclusions were made as a result. I hope our privacy will be respected."

A source familiar with the incident told Patch the couple was "over-served" at the bar and that Hofmann testified in Patrick Moran's defense on Wednesday. Jarman was not immediately able to confirm that.

Jim Moran cares deeply about the two, but he is disappointed they were out too late and drank too much, the source told Patch.

“Patrick and Kelly are both good kids, and I hope their privacy will be respected," Jim Moran said in a statement. "They look forward to putting this embarrassing situation behind them.”

Moran, 23, who lives on South Randolph Street in Arlington, Va. also remains under investigation by state and local authorities thanks to a video that surfaced before the November election in which he appears to give advice on how to skirt voter identification laws.

In late October, a conservative operative caught Patrick Moran on video apparently giving advice on how to skirt voter identification laws.

That video — released by activist James O'Keefe, whose methods and accuracy have been questioned in the past — has sparked a state and local investigation.

Officials with the Arlington County Police Department, the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office for Arlington and Falls Church, and the state Attorney General's Office told Patch on Wednesday that investigation remains ongoing.

Note: Hofmann's last name is spelled differently in court documents than in the statement from her obtained by Patch.