District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charge in Robbery of Convenience Store

            WASHINGTON – Cordell Brockington, 25, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal firearms charge stemming from an armed robbery that he committed earlier this year at a convenience store in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Brockington pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2019, by the Honorable Senior Judge Rosemary M. Collyer. Brockington faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 9, 2018, at approximately 1:10 a.m., Brockington, while masked, entered a 7-Eleven store in the 1600 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. After entering the store, he approached two store clerks who were working at the time. Brockington stated to the clerks “Give me the money” several times, during which he lifted his jacket area to expose, show, and display a firearm that was located in his waistband.

            Brockington then directed one of the clerks to the area of the store where two cash registers were located and instructed the clerk to open both registers. Brockington removed a total of approximately $210 from the registers. He then left the 7-Eleven store.

            Brockington was arrested on Jan. 12, 2018, and has been in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest, Brockington was on supervised release following his release from prison eight months earlier for a different armed robbery. He now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration separate and apart from the sentence that he faces for brandishing the loaded firearm on Jan. 9, 2018.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Misler, Ethan Carroll, and Gregory Rosen, as well as Paralegal Jeannette Litz.

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