District Men Sentenced to Prison Terms for Robbing Two Men at Gunpoint and Pistol Whipping

            WASHINGTON – Shawne Proctor 27, and Calvin Abney 28, both of Washington D.C., were sentenced today to prison terms of 15 years and 12 years, respectively, on charges stemming from an armed robbery and pistol-whipping that took place in Southeast Washington in June 2018, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Proctor and Abney were found guilty by a jury in January 2019 of charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The verdict followed a month-long trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The men were sentenced by the Honorable Marisa Demeo. Following their prison terms, both men will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Proctor and Abney conspired to commit the crime as part of a larger scheme to rob local drug dealers. In the early morning of June 9, 2018, Proctor, a former friend of one of the victims, called and requested marijuana. Proctor instructed the victim to drive from Maryland into the District of Columbia for the exchange.

            The victim, who did not have a car, brought a friend to drive him. Upon arriving to the location, in the 800 block of Southern Avenue SE, Proctor had the men drive to a more secluded street. When Proctor entered the victim’s car to inspect the marijuana, he signaled Abney by cellphone. Abney, who was armed with a firearm, entered the car, pistol-whipped the driver, and stole money and marijuana from both men. Two unidentified individuals helped with the crime by surrounding the vehicle armed with firearms, and then driving off in the victim’s car.

           The victim reported Proctor to the police and later identified Abney in a photo array. A search of both men’s cellphones revealed text messages setting up similar robberies. Proctor was arrested in June 2018, and Abney was arrested in August 2018. Both have been in custody ever since.

            At the time of the incident, Proctor was on supervision following his conviction for an armed robbery offense in Prince George’s County, and Abney was on supervision for conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, a federal offense in Maryland. Both now could face additional time in those matters.

           In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Rickard and John Hill; Paralegal Specialists Richard Cheatham and Wanda Trice, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen.

           Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gauri Gopal and Alyse Constantinide, who investigated, indicted and prosecuted the matter.