Operator Of D.C. Electronics Store Found Guilty Of Trafficking In Stolen Property And Related Charges-Stolen IPhone Was Recovered From His Business-

     WASHINGTON –David J. Brown, Sr., 49, the operator of an electronics store in Northwest Washington, has been found guilty by a jury of charges stemming from the recovery of stolen property from his place of business, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Brown, of Capitol Heights, Md., was found guilty Jan. 16, 2014, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of charges of felony trafficking in stolen property and misdemeanor receiving stolen property.  The Honorable John McCabe scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2014.  Under the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Brown faces a prison sentence of 10 to 28 months, and a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years.

     According to the government’s evidence, on the afternoon of Nov. 22, 2011, the victim was walking northbound on North Capitol Street when her iPhone was snatched from her hand.  The victim went to a nearby security guard and contacted police. 

     After the police arrived, the victim contacted her friend, who, using the “Find My iPhone” application, ultimately tracked the victim’s phone to the vicinity of “12 Volt Mobile Electronics,” the defendant’s business, located in the 300 block of H Street NW.  Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) personnel responded to that location, where they made contact with Brown, and subsequently recovered the victim’s iPhone from him.

     Brown initially provided an invoice to the police, claiming that the phone had been dropped off with his son to be serviced, but subsequently admitted that the invoice was a fake.  Brown was arrested for receiving stolen property and then released pending trial.

     On Dec. 2, 2011, MPD personnel returned to “12 Volt Electronics” to execute a search warrant.  During the search, they recovered another iPhone that had been stolen in a “snatch robbery” similar to the first victim’s robbery.   

     In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigators Derek Starliper, John Marsh, and Durand Odom; Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Katina Adams-Washington; Paralegal Specialists Donville Drummond and Tameka Garcia, and Legal Assistant Sharece Muschettea. Finally, he praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Swanton, who is prosecuting the matter.