District Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Series of Thefts at Gyms and Movie Theater

            WASHINGTON – Leopold Badu, 43, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to six years in prison for incidents in which he stole credit cards and other items from lockers and bags at three gyms and a movie theater, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            Badu pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of robbery, one count of second-degree burglary, and two counts of felony credit card fraud, stemming from four incidents over a five-month period. He was sentenced on Sept. 28, 2018, by the Honorable Marisa Demeo. Following his prison term, he is to be placed on three years of supervised release.

            Badu was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in June 2018 and charged with multiple theft-related charges, mostly stemming from break-ins of lockers at various fitness centers. In his guilty plea, he admitted to four of the offenses. They included:

            -Dec. 25, 2017: Badu sat next to a woman at a movie theater in the 700 block of Seventh Street NW, and removed a wallet from her bag without her knowledge. He then used her credit card for $150 in transactions at the concession stand.

            -March 15, 2018: Badu entered the men’s locker room of a fitness center in the 3100 block of 14^th Street NW, and broke into a locker. He stole cash and three credit cards. He used the cards to make more than $2,000 in purchases.

            -May 7, 2018: Badu entered the men’s locker room of a fitness center in the 2400 block of M Street NW and took credit cards. He then made more than $2,000 in purchases.

            -May 22, 2018: Badu entered the men’s locker room of a fitness center in the 1600 block of U Street NW and broke into a locker. He stole credit cards and $40 in cash. He made more than $2,000 in purchases on the credit cards.

            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 work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vivian E. Kim and Colleen Kukowski, who investigated and prosecuted the case.