Paul Mannina
Paul Mannina, 58, of Ashton, Maryland, was a lawyer with the U.S. Department of Labor's benefits security division. He was found unresponsive on the bunk in his cell at the D.C. Jail in June 2013, and the Department of Corrections said the cause of death was under investigation. His death was later described as a suicide in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his wife, Victoria, who alleged that the Department of Corrections failed to identify and protect people at risk of self-harm. According to a 2025 Washington City Paper report, he had been placed in a general population cell and given a razor. In August 2024, the District agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle the suit, and critics quoted in that report doubted that reforms adopted after other suicide attempts had been carried out.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Paul Mannina's wife, Victoria, sued and alleged the D.C. Department of Corrections failed to identify and protect him from self-harm; the district agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle the wrongful death suit in August 2024.
Reported by: Victoria Mannina's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); news reporting on the settlement.
Lawsuit: His wife, Victoria Mannina, sued over his 2013 suicide at the DC Jail, and in August 2024 the District of Columbia agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle the wrongful death suit.