Defendant Robbed Three Victims in Separate Incidents Over One Weekend
WASHINGTON - Avery Kinney, 25, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 14 ½ years in prison for three armed robberies that he committed in one weekend, in which he robbed two separate transgender women and also robbed a young man whose phone he had arranged to buy through the website OfferUp, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Kinney was found guilty by a jury in August 2017 of two counts each of armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of felony fleeing. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Kinney subsequently pled guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a third incident that same weekend. He was sentenced on Jan. 19, 2018, by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of his prison term, Kinney will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 at about 5 a.m., the victim, a transgender woman, was standing in the unit block of K Street NW when she asked Kinney for a ride. Kinney drove around with her for about five minutes and then pulled the car over. The moment the victim turned her head, Kinney pulled out an imitation firearm and pointed it at her head while demanding her purse. The victim tried to get out of the car with her purse. Kinney then ripped the purse out of her hand, breaking two of her fingernails in the process. Kinney then fled the scene.
Two days later, on Sept. 11, 2016, Kinney again went to K Street and offered a ride to another victim, also a transgender woman. He again drove around with this victim for about five minutes and pulled the car over. Kinney distracted the victim and got her to look out the window, at which point he pulled out an imitation firearm and threatened to shoot her in the head unless she gave him her purse. Kinney again sped off.
Several officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the scene and Kinney’s vehicle was soon spotted a few blocks away. A brief car chase ensued, where Kinney ran stop signs and weaved through traffic at a high rate of speed. Kinney fled the scene.
Kinney also pled guilty in September 2017 to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon involving a third crime that he committed that same weekend.
According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 11, 2016, at about 3 p.m., Kinney arranged to meet the third victim for the purpose of completing a transaction that began on the OfferUp website. When he arrived at the meeting place, in the 500 block of 59th Street NE, Kinney pointed an imitation firearm at the victim, demanded his phone, and threatened to shoot him. Kinney then fled the scene.
Kinney’s car was found weeks later and both the imitation firearm used in all three incidents and the second victim’s metro card were found during the execution of a search warrant. He was arrested on Sept. 27, 2016, and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Danello; Liaison and Operations Manager Linda McDonald; Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle and Debra McPherson; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Lynda Randolph; Criminal Investigators John Marsh and Nelson Rhone, and Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Allen and Jennifer Clark. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jackson and Jillian Willis, who investigated, prosecuted, and tried the cases.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
