Brigette O. Robertson, a resident of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to violating the constitutional rights of a detained citizen. The incident involved Robertson stomping on the face of an arrestee in June 2023. This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
FBI Assistant Director Steven J. Jensen from the Washington Field Office joined in the announcement. The plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, who scheduled sentencing for October 21, 2025. Robertson faces up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for her misdemeanor offense.
Court documents reveal that on June 24, 2023, Robertson was working as a Special Police Officer for Specific Protection Services, LLC., at a McDonald's restaurant in Northeast Washington D.C. During her shift, she engaged in a verbal altercation with a patron that escalated into physical confrontation. Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the scene and restrained the patron on the ground. Despite this, Robertson stepped over and stomped on the patron’s face without legal justification.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office routinely reviews cases involving police use of force to assess potential violations of federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law. Proving such violations requires demonstrating that officers used excessive force with deliberate intent.
The office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers thoroughly. The FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Truscott is prosecuting it.
