District Man Sentenced To 4½-Year Prison Term For Robbery And Credit Card Fraud-Defendant Used Victim's Credit Cards Within An Hour Of The Robbery-

     WASHINGTON – Robert Reese, 44, of Oxon Hill, Md., has been sentenced to a 4 ½year prison term for robbery and credit card fraud, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

     Reese was found guilty by a jury in August 2012, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, on charges of robbery, theft, and credit card fraud.  He was sentenced on Jan. 11, 2013, by the Honorable Michael Ryan.  Upon completion of his prison term, Reese will be placed on three years of supervised release.

The government’s evidence at trial established that Reese entered the Sweet Green Restaurant, in the 200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE, on Capitol Hill, at about 6:45 p.m. March 7, 2012, intending to rob an unsuspecting customer.   Reese sat directly behind the victim and robbed her of her credit cards without her knowledge.  Reese then proceeded directly to Maryland, where, within an hour of the robbery, he charged over $1,500 worth of items on the victim’s credit cards at a Home Depot store and a Target store. 

     When Reese committed this crime, he was on parole for an almost-identical crime out of Maryland, in which he robbed a woman of her credit cards and within hours had charged her cards for over a thousand dollars.  At Reese’s sentencing, Judge Ryan noted the defendant’s criminal history and the ordeal for the victim, who had to straighten out the credit card issues.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tameka Garcia and Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling and Josh Ellen. Finally, he praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Connolly, who indicted and tried the case.