District Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of Convenience Store in Northeast Washington

            WASHINGTON – Daniel Skinner, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for an armed robbery he carried out at a convenience store in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Skinner pled guilty to the armed robbery charge in December 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. Following his prison term, Skinner will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 26, 2016, shortly after 5 a.m., Skinner entered a 7-Eleven store in the 900 block of Bladensburg Road NE and got a cup of coffee. He then went to the cash register, pulled up his shirt, and brandished what appeared to the store employee to be a black handgun from his waistband. The item was later determined to be a screwdriver. Skinner ordered the employee to open the cash register and the employee complied. Skinner leaned over the counter and took approximately $60 before fleeing.

            The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) quickly responded to the scene and officers saw a cup of coffee on the counter; witnesses confirmed that the robber had this cup in his possession before fleeing the store. Additionally, surveillance footage of the robbery showed that the assailant was wearing a T-shirt that stated “Challenge Accepted” and a black bucket hat.

            The coffee cup was submitted for DNA examination. The resulting DNA profile was uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a web of state and national databases containing DNA profiles from convicted offenders and crime scenes that is used as an investigative tool. It revealed a match for Skinner. Additionally, Skinner was arrested a few weeks after the 7-Eleven robbery in Prince George’s County, Md.  A search of the vehicle he was using led to the recovery of various items, including multiple screwdrivers, the “Challenge Accepted” T-shirt, and the black bucket hat.

            Skinner earlier pled guilty to four other armed robberies in Prince George’s County and was sentenced to 40 years in prison for those crimes. The sentence in the District of Columbia case will run concurrently with the one he is now serving in Maryland.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department. Finally, she acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.