District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Brazen Robberies of Spanish-Speaking Workers

            WASHINGTON – Tyquise Powell, 19, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a 10-year prison term for his role in an armed robbery and a robbery, both in broad daylight, that targeted Spanish-speaking workers in two neighborhoods over a 48-hour period in November of 2017, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            Powell pled guilty in June 2018 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of armed robbery and one count of robbery.  The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison sentence of seven to 11 years. The Honorable José M. López accepted the plea and sentenced Powell accordingly on Aug. 24, 2018. Following his prison term, Powell will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 27, 2017, Powell took part in an armed robbery at approximately 11:50 a.m. targeting a crew of Spanish-speaking landscapers who were working at a church on the 2800 block of Bladensburg Road NE. During that robbery, Powell and two unidentified associates approached the workers, brandishing a firearm, and demanded their property. While one of the three robbers held the firearm, the other two went through the victim’s pockets and removed their person property. Also, Powell and the two associates discharged a firearm in an attempt to scare off several of the victims who attempted to pursue the suspects as they fled from the scene of the robbery. 

            Then, on Nov. 29, 2017, Powell and an unidentified accomplice took part in a robbery at 10:30 a.m., this time targeting Spanish-speaking construction workers who were renovating a home in the 3600 block of Camden Street SE, robbing the workers at gunpoint and taking an iPhone and wallet containing bank and credit cards.   

            Powell was arrested on Jan. 5, 2018, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the officers in the Fifth and Sixth Districts who quickly investigated and arrested Powell.  She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kerkhoff and Kathryn Rakoczy, and Paralegal Specialist Antoinette Sakamsa. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane, who investigated and prosecuted the case.