Man Sentenced to Four-Year Prison Term For August 2012 Robbery

Photo by PoPville flickr user KJinDC

From MPD:

District Man Sentenced to Four-Year Prison Term
For August 2012 Robbery in Northwest Washington
-Defendant Pointed Gun at Three People in Separate Incidents That Day-

Tovo Prudencio, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a four- year prison term after earlier pleading guilty to a robbery last summer on North Capitol Street, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

Prudencio pled guilty to one count of robbery in September 2012, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Following his prison term, Prudencio will be placed on three years of supervised release.

According to the government’s evidence, Prudencio accosted the victim at about 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 11, 2012, as the man was parking his vehicle in the area of the 4900 block of North Capitol Street NW. Prudencio, who lived nearby, approached the victim and stated, “Don’t park here anymore.” When the victim asked why, Prudencio pointed a gun at his head. Prudencio then demanded that the victim give up his gold necklace and cellphone, while pointing the gun at him.

After the victim complied, Prudencio stated, “I should kill you.” The victim grabbed the gun and started to struggle with Prudencio, but Prudencio broke free and fled. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) identified him as a suspect, and a witness identified him as the person who committed the crime.

This was not the only time that Prudencio pulled out a gun and threatened citizens that day. Earlier in the morning, Prudencio approached another man who was pulling his vehicle into the area, brandishing a gun while threatening him. The driver left the area and called the police. A short time later, another man was walking his dog in the area, and Prudencio told him to take his dog away. When the man questioned the directive, Prudencio pulled out his gun and said, “This is why, because I told you so.” The man quickly left the area and called 911 to report the incident.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the MPD officers and detectives who investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn, from the Fourth District Unit of the Superior Court Felony Major Crimes Section, who prosecuted the case.