78 Month Sentence for Maryland Man Convicted of Gunpoint Robberies in Georgetown and Glover Park

            WASHINGTON – Roberto McBean, 31, of Hyattsville, MD., was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for committing 10 robberies – six of which while armed with a firearm – in Georgetown and Glover Park during a five-month period between August 2023 and January 2024. Moreover, he robbed two of the victims repeatedly with one of the stores being robbed by him three separate times, including at gunpoint on Thanksgiving.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            McBean, who formerly worked for the Architect of the Capitol, admitted to committing all 10 robberies. He pleaded guilty on April 26, 2024, to four counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery (aka Hobbs Act robbery) before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ordered McBean to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on August 22, 2023, McBean first used a small hammer to rob a Sunoco gas station on the 2400 block of Wisconsin Ave., NW. McBean told the store clerk: “don't touch anything, don't say anything, this is hard for me.” He then ordered the store clerk to open register, which McBean then emptied entirely.

            On August 31, 2023, McBean used a small vegetable knife to rob the Georgetown Wine and Spirits on the 2700 block of P street, NW. After checking for customers, McBean pointed the blade at the employee working the counter and demanded both the money from the register as well as the employee’s wallet. On the way out of the store, he grabbed a bottle of red wine. On September 18, 2023, McBean was stymied when he brandished a knife at the Universal Wine and Spirits on the 2000 block of Florida Ave. A customer saw what was happening and barked, “Not today, Get out!” McBean fled without taking any cash.

            On November 23, 2023, on Thanksgiving Thursday, McBean wore a mask and gloves and entered the Glover Park Market on the 2400 block of 37^th Street, NW. Armed with a black firearm, he robbed the register of cash.  McBean would later rob this store three more times. On December 8, 2023, McBean entered an Exxon gas station in Georgetown, on the 1600 block of Wisconsin Ave., NW, produced a gun, and left with a small amount of money. On December 8, 2023, McBean returned to the Sunoco gas station on Wisconsin Ave., produced his firearm, and ordered the employee to empty the register in a bag. On December 16, 2023, McBean returned to the Glover Park Market, where the same individual he had robbed at gunpoint on Thanksgiving was on duty. McBean went behind the counter, opened the register, and took the cash, multiple lottery tickets, and a plastic bag.

            On December 20, 2023, McBean returned to the Georgetown Wine and Spirits shop and ordered an employee to empty the register. The employee told McBean that he didn’t have a key to the register. McBean pulled out a gun and again demanded money. The employee picked up the entire register and handed it to McBean. McBean fumbled with the machine before handing it back. Unsuccessful, McBean left the store.

On January 4, 2024, McBean entered Sara’s Market and Dry Cleaners on the 3000 block of Q Street NW. McBean picked up a bottle of wine, set it on the counter, brandished a firearm, and demanded cash. The employee said the market did not accept cash. Flustered, McBean went back over to the shelf of wine and asked where the red wine was located. When the clerk pointed out that he had already grabbed red wine, he took the bottle and left the store without paying for it.  

            On January 5, 2024, McBean once again returned to the Glover Park Market armed with a handgun and ordered an employee to fill a bag with cash. In addition to the money, McBean took lottery tickets and two packs of cigarettes. On January 8, 2024, at 6:06 p.m., McBean, once again wearing gloves and a mask, returned to the Glover Park Market for the fourth time. The store employee on duty recognized him as the same person who had robbed her on Thanksgiving and December 16, 2023.

            Then a police officer spotted McBean as he left the store and noticed he matched the description of a perpetrator from previous robberies from the market. The officer was able to identify the license plate from the vehicle McBean used to leave the scene, which led to his eventual arrest and indictment later that month.

            Agents with the FBI’s Washington Field Office arrested McBean on January 26, 2024.

            Because each of the six stores that McBean robbed bought and sold goods in interstate commerce, McBean’s actions in each of the robberies delayed, obstructed, or affected interstate commerce.

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Ryan Lipes and Omeed A. Assefi.

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