Defendant Brandished Two Handguns in Attack
WASHINGTON - Kenneth Gaines, 51, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a six-year prison term for a violent burglary of a home in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.
Gaines pled guilty in July 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of first-degree burglary, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced on Nov. 16, 2015, by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. After his prison term, Gaines will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 4, 2015, at about 11:15 p.m., Gaines entered the apartment of one of the victims, in the 3900 block of Fourth Street SE. While inside, Gaines took out a.40 caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun and a.40 caliber Beretta semi-automatic handgun, and ordered the victim and his two houseguests to give him all their money and car keys. One of the victims was able to wrestle the handguns from Gaines and sustained an injury to the head during the struggle. The victims were able to subdue Gaines shortly before police arrived on scene.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh District. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Daphne Nelson and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah C. Santiago and Kondi Kleinman, of the Felony Major Crimes Trial Section, who prosecuted the matter.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
