Two Men Plead Guilty To Robbery Charges In Recent Attack In Northeast Washington-Defendants Caught After Crashing A Stolen Car-

     WASHINGTON - Tayvaughn Sinclair, 25, of Mount Rainier, Md., and John Wright, 22, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to robbery charges stemming from an attack against two men earlier this year in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Sinclair and Wright entered their guilty pleas in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the robbery charge, Sinclair pled guilty to one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The Honorable William M. Jackson scheduled sentencing for April 12, 2013. Under the Court’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Sinclair likely faces up to six years in prison on the robbery and up to 32 months on the second charge. The guidelines call for a likely range for Wright of up to five years in prison for robbery.

     According to the government’s evidence, Sinclair and Wright accosted the two victims at about 10:20 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2013. The victims were working on a taxicab in a parking lot in the 5500 block of South Dakota Avenue NE. The defendants asked them for a cigarette lighter. When the victims said they didn’t have one, Sinclair ordered them to give up their wallets and cash.  The victims complied.  Wright then went through their pockets, and he and Sinclair took the victims’ iPhones, wallets, shoes and keys.

     Sinclair and Wright then got into a red Plymouth Breeze, threw the victims’ keys on the ground, and drove off.  The victims notified police that they had just been robbed by men in a red car and provided a portion of the license plate number. Within a few minutes, an officer spotted a vehicle matching this description being driven in the 200 block of Galloway Street NE.  Police attempted to stop the car, but Sinclair, who was driving, did not stop. 

     Sinclair eventually crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Monroe Street NE. The occupants of the other vehicle included a mother and two young children, and the mother was transported to a hospital for injuries sustained in the accident.

     Sinclair, meanwhile, attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended.  Wright, who was also injured in the accident, was apprehended in the getaway vehicle.  Officers recovered the victims’ stolen items from the vehicle. The car had been stolen earlier in the day.     

     In announcing the guilty pleas, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor N. McFadden, of the Fourth District Felony Prosecution Unit, who prosecuted the matter.