District Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Robbing One Man and Attempting to Rob Another in Northwest Washington

            WASHINGTON – Kevin Diaz, 19, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for the April 2023 robbery and assault of two men behind a Northwest Washington restaurant, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Diaz was found guilty at trial on October 5, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of robbery, assault with intent to commit robbery, and two counts of felony threats.  According to the government’s evidence at trial, on April 25, 2023, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a construction worker and a roofer arrived near the 1600 block of Lamont Street NW to begin remodeling and repair work on a local business.  As the construction worker waited in the alley near Lamont Street, Diaz approached him, brandishing an ice pick.  Diaz claimed to be a member of the 18^th Street gang, demanded money, and threatened to kill the worker if he did not comply.  That worker did not give Diaz any money, so Diaz turned his attention to the roofer, who had arrived in his truck minutes after the construction worker. Diaz again brandished the ice pick, demanded money, claimed membership in a gang, and threatened to kill the roofer.  The roofer, who was scared for his life, went to his truck, pulled out $20, and gave it to Diaz; Diaz took the money and left.

            The workers called police. MPD officers investigated, uncovered surveillance footage that showed Diaz wearing the distinctive haircut and outfit as described by the two victims and witness, and located Diaz within the hour. Diaz was identified and taken into custody, and has remained held since these offenses.

            At the December 15, 2023, sentencing hearing, consistent with the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, the government asked that the Court impose a total sentence of 96 months’ incarceration — 48 months’ incarceration for robbery and for assault with intent to commit robbery, to be run consecutively to each other, given that each crime of violence was committed against a different victim. The government also sought 24 months’ incarceration for each count of felony threats, to run concurrently with those sentences. The Honorable Michael Ryan sentenced the defendant to a total of 30 months’ incarceration — 30 months for robbery, 18 months for assault with intent to commit robbery, and 14 months for each count of felony threats, all to run concurrently, despite the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines requirement that the Court impose consecutive sentences when there are multiple victims. The Court also ordered Diaz to serve three years’ supervised release following his sentence.    

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel White and Kraig Ahalt, Lead Paralegal Specialists Reather Prather and Tameka Garcia, and Victim/Witness Advocate Paola Molina. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline Yarbro and William Lawrence, who prosecuted the case.