District Man Pleads Guilty to Burglary and Firearms Charges
In Two Attacks Against Senior Citizens
- Defendant Posed as a Maintenance Man to Gain Entry Into Their Apartments -

     WASHINGTON - Tony Ford, 48, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from two recent incidents in which he posed as a maintenance man to gain entry into apartments occupied by senior citizens, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Ford, also known as Anthony Ford, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to two counts of first-degree burglary and a firearms charge. The Honorable Gerald I. Fisher scheduled sentencing for Oct. 5, 2012. Ford faces up to 75 years in prison.

     According to the government’s evidence, Ford used a ruse to get inside two apartments in June 2012, accosting the victims, who are in their 90s, before stealing cash.

     In the first incident, at about 5:10 p.m. on June 19, 2012, Ford went to an apartment building for senior citizens in the 1400 block of Florida Avenue NE. He knocked on the door of an apartment and falsely claimed to be from the maintenance department. Ford claimed that he was checking for leaks in the apartment’s bathroom. The victim, 91, opened the door and allowed Ford inside. Ford and the victim walked into the bathroom, where he struck her several times in the mouth with his fist. Ford then pushed the victim to the floor and tied her up. After being restrained, the victim began screaming. Ford told her that she needed to “shut up” or he was going to kill her. He stole $23 from the victim and then fled the apartment. The victim suffered minor injuries.

     The second incident took place on June 26, 2012, between about 1:30 and 2 p.m. This time, Ford went to another apartment building for senior citizens, in the 1200 block of G Street SE. Again he went to an apartment and falsely announced himself as a maintenance man, saying he was there to check for leaks in the bathroom. The victim, 94, opened the apartment door. Once inside the apartment, Ford grabbed the victim from behind and slammed him down onto his bed. Ford stole approximately $133 from various places in the apartment. He then tied up the victim before fleeing the apartment. Several hours later, a neighbor heard the victim yelling. The neighbor freed the victim from the restraints and called the police. The victim was treated at the hospital for swelling, abrasions, and bruising to his wrists.

     Surveillance footage from one of the burglaries was broadcast on local newscasts and authorities asked the public for help in identifying the assailant. Ford told an individual that he intended to kill someone who he thought might contact the police. At the time he made the remarks, Ford was armed with a .45-caliber revolver. The individual contacted police, and Ford was arrested on June 28, 2012. He has been in custody ever since.

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the detectives and officers who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, Paralegal Specialist Kalisha Johnson-Clark, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Walsh, who prosecuted the matter.

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