District Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prison
For Attacking Man in Northwest Washington
- Barged Into Victim’s Apartment After Dispute Over Drugs -

     WASHINGTON - John King, 31, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison on charges stemming from an attack against a man last year in the LeDroit Park neighborhood of Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

     King was convicted by a jury in December 2011 of charges of robbery, threats and destruction of property. He was sentenced on February 24, 2012 to 15 years and two months in prison by the Honorable Florence Pan in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

     The government presented evidence at trial that King sold drugs in the LeDroit Park housing complex, where the victim resided. The victim had purchased crack cocaine from King on a few previous occasions. In February, March and May of 2011, King assaulted the victim when he was late paying King for drugs, when he asked King to leave his apartment, and when he did not purchase drugs from King. The government's evidence showed that, just before 6 a.m. on May 26, 2011, King banged on the victim’s door, in the 200 block of V Street NW, and threatened to beat him unless he was let inside. King kicked in the door and went into the man’s bedroom, where the victim had been sleeping. King punched the victim in the face and hit him with a metal pole. King then stole the man’s phone and house key, and held him inside his own apartment. The victim eventually snuck out of his apartment and ran to a nearby security desk to call police.

     At the time of the offense, King was on supervised release stemming from a 2007 conviction of a charge of attempted distribution of cocaine.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed his appreciation to the Metropolitan Police Department, and particularly praised the work of Detectives Kenneth Arrington and Derek Ricks, and Officers Paul Marshall, Francisco Montano, Livio Rodriguez and Crime Scene Officer Jean Paskalis. U.S. Attorney Machen also commended the work of U.S. Attorney’s Office Paralegals Wanda Trice and Tamaya Reid, Debra Cannon of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit, and the entire staff of the Litigation Services Unit. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney April Fearnley, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

12-074