D’marrell Mitchell was sentenced to 224 months in federal prison for his role in a violent robbery ring that authorities claim turned pharmacies and cellphone stores across the DMV into hunting grounds. Mitchell will also serve three years on supervised release, bringing an end to a sweeping federal prosecution that linked scores of robberies in Washington and nearby states to a close-knit crew of co-defendants.
Mitchell, 36, received a 224-month sentence and a three-year supervised release order, according to DC News Now. According to prosecutors and reports, police discovered photos of firearms on his cellphone that matched the weapons used in some of the robberies. Authorities apprehended Mitchell on the rooftop of a nearby restaurant after the crew’s last assignment, according to the site.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the team targeted pharmacies and phone stores before committing robberies across the District, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey from May 9, 2020, to May 26, 2021. According to court documents, members used weapons and physical force on victims, zip-tying them and stuffing duffel bags with prescription medicines and phones before escaping to sell the stolen goods.
Mitchell was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), conspiracy to distribute and possess prohibited narcotics with the purpose of distribution, and nine counts of Hobbs Act robbery. “This indictment alleges that these defendants conspired to commit armed robberies at targeted businesses, using firearms and the threat of violence,” U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves said in the release.
According to court filings, on November 12, 2020, Mitchell allegedly walked behind a pharmacy counter, ordered an employee to kneel, and punched him in the head as a co-defendant loaded a duffel bag with prescriptions. Mitchell is accused of forcing an employee to access the narcotics safe at a CVS in Pasadena, Maryland, and then fleeing when officers arrived. According to investigators, the spree affected over 40 individuals and netted almost $300,000 in narcotics and phones.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department and Maryland and Virginia county agencies, according to case records. Other members of the crew have pleaded guilty or been convicted in separate cases, and authorities say the concerted, multi-jurisdictional effort helped connect thefts that occurred across state borders. Local shops and investigators say the case shows continuing efforts to protect pharmacies and retail employees from armed robberies linked to opiate diversion.
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