D.C. Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Multiple Armed Robberies

            WASHINGTON –Lonnell Hart, 50, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today, in U.S. District Court, to 132 months in prison for multiple armed robberies committed in 2017,  announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”).

            Hart pleaded guilty on July 8, 2022, to four counts of interfering with interstate commerce by robbery, also known as Hobbs Act robbery. As part of the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered 36 months of supervised release and $14,050 in restitution.

            According to court documents, between August 15, 2017, and October 25, 2017, Hart robbed four Washington, D.C. CVS pharmacies. During each of those robberies, Hart brandished a loaded firearm and pointed it at employees in order to gain their compliance with his demands.  Hart then ordered the employees to provide him with cash from the pharmacies’ safes, as well as the registers. During one robbery, Hart pointed a loaded firearm at the belly of a pregnant woman when his demands were not immediately met.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory P. Rosen and James B. Nelson.