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Press Release

London Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting And Attempting to Rob Man in Georgetown in January 2017

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia
Defendant Was Later Arrested by FBI in Seattle Area

            WASHINGTON – Paolo Aldorasi, 34, of London, pled guilty today to assaulting and attempting to rob a man who he forced into his sport utility vehicle in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

 

            Aldorasi pled guilty to assault with intent to commit robbery, a District of Columbia offense. The plea took place in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. As part of the plea agreement, the government agreed to dismiss a federal kidnapping charge. The Honorable Richard J. Leon scheduled sentencing for Jan. 30, 2018. Aldorasi faces a statutory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a statutory maximum of 15 years of incarceration.

 

            According to a factual proffer submitted at the plea hearing, on Jan. 26, 2017, at about 3:20 p.m., Aldorasi saw the victim walking eastbound in the 3400 block of O Street NW. Aldorasi, who was operating a sport utility vehicle, pulled alongside the victim and asked for directions to Washington Dulles International Airport. The victim, who spoke limited English, said he did not know the location. As the conversation continued, Aldorasi grabbed the victim and ordered him into the SUV. He then drove off with the victim, taking him to four ATMs in the District of Columbia, in unsuccessful attempts to withdraw money, as well as to two retail establishments in unsuccessful attempts to make purchases. After the last failed attempt, at a retail store in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, he finally let the victim go.

 

            Aldorasi was arrested by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office on Feb. 24, 2017, in SeaTac, Washington, and has been in custody ever since.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz, Catherine O’Neal and Teesha Tobias; Legal Assistants Peter Gaboton and Holly Crouse, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emory V. Cole and Kamilah O. House, who prosecuted the matter.

Updated November 2, 2017

Press Release Number: 17-239