“District Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison For Robberies in Northwest Washington”

Photo by PoPville flickr user KJinDC

From MPD:

Leo Griffin, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to nine years of incarceration on charges stemming from two robberies he carried out last summer in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

Griffin pled guilty in September 2012 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count each of armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, and possession of a prohibited weapon. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael Ryan. Upon completion of his prison term, Griffin will be placed on five years of supervised release.

According to the government’s evidence, the first attack took place at about 10:20 p.m. on July 1, 2012. The victim was walking her dog in the 3600 block of 10th Street NW when Griffin and a female accomplice approached her. Griffin stated, “Hey, stop and talk to us for a second.” The victim saw what appeared to be a pistol in Griffin’s hand, stopped, and then complied with Griffin’s order to give him what she had. She turned over her iPhone and jewelry, including her wedding band. Griffin and the accomplice fled with the property.

The second attack took place about two hours later, just after midnight, on July 2, 2012. Griffin and his accomplice flagged a taxicab near Georgia Avenue and Webster Street NW. Griffin asked the driver to take them to Kennedy Street. As the victim began driving, Griffin pulled out what appeared to be a pistol and demanded the driver’s money. The driver complied, and Griffin and the accomplice got out of the cab at Georgia Avenue and Decatur Street NW and fled the area.

Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stopped Griffin and the accomplice about 15 minutes after the taxi driver was robbed, near the site of the crime. Griffin was armed with a BB gun, as well as cash and the iPhone, watch, earrings and wedding band that were stolen earlier. The accomplice later pled guilty to her role in the taxicab robbery.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Debra McPherson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Barlotta and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn, of the Fourth District Unit of the Superior Court Felony Major Crimes Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.