Defendant Admits Role in Violence That Took Place Outside Northwest Washington Hotel
WASHINGTON - Anthony Robinson, 25, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to a charge of armed robbery stemming from an incident in which he conspired to rob an acquaintance after a party, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Robinson pled guilty on April 3, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled a sentencing for June 1, 2018. Robinson faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and a statutory minimum of five years.
According to the government evidence, on Oct. 15, 2016, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Robinson and another man, having conspired to rob the victim, came to the front of the Baron Hotel in the 1500 block of 22nd Street NW, where a party was being held, to execute their plan. The victim was standing on the sidewalk, talking to occupants of a car parked on the street.
When Robinson and his accomplice arrived, the accomplice immediately pointed a gun to the victim’s head and demanded the man’s backpack. Robinson stood a few feet away. The victim handed his backpack to the accomplice, and Robinson urged him to “come on."
At this point, one of the passengers in the car stepped out and Robinson’s accomplice fired two shots at him; one of these bullets hit the man below his right ear and exited through his neck. The man survived the gunshot wound. Robinson ran down the block to wait for his accomplice. Robinson took the backpack from the accomplice and both men fled the scene. Robinson was arrested on Nov. 7, 2016. No one else has been charged to date.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, who investigated the case. She also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Nurudeen Elias, who investigated and indicted the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney John Giovannelli.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
