Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: California Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery and Home Invasion in Northwest Washington
WASHINGTON – Jomo Dawes, 40, of San Diego, Calif., was sentenced today to 50 years in prison on charges stemming from a home invasion and armed robbery that took place in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Dawes was found guilty by a jury in November 2017 of a total of 27 charges, including multiple counts of kidnapping while armed, armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, felony threats, and related weapons offenses. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa Demeo.
According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 14, 2016, at approximately 10 p.m., Dawes and two accomplices got into a home in the 4800 block of Illinois Avenue NW under the ruse of selling marijuana. They pulled out guns and began robbing all four of the victims, repeatedly threatening to kill them. They even stacked the victims’ bodies on top of one another, suggesting to any frightful or reasonable person that they were about to be executed. At one point, one of the victims’ friends showed up at the front door and tried to enter. Dawes opened the door and proceeded to pistol-whip him in the face. The robbers fled the scene.
An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) led to the arrest of Dawes in July 2017 in Atlanta, Ga. He was extradited to the District of Columbia and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, including detectives from the Fourth Police District. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez and Paralegal Specialist Donville Drummond. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Rosen and Michael McCarthy, who prosecuted the case.