Source: Office of United States Attorneys
WASHINGTON – Franco Rawlings Jr., 24, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for a series of armed robberies committed in the Trinidad neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C., between May and June 2023. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Rawlings pleaded guilty on August 30, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to two counts of armed robbery, one count of robbery, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. The prison term was announced today by Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur. Following his term of incarceration, Rawlings will serve a period of three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Rawlings conspired with a co-conspirator to identify residential construction sites in the Trinidad neighborhood staffed by Hispanic workers—whom Rawlings and his co-conspirator referred to as “Migos” through text communication—to rob those workers at gunpoint.
On April 18, 2023, a victim working as a welder at a home in the 1400 block of Montello Avenue, NE, was approached in an alleyway by Rawlings, who pointed a gun at him and demanded money. Rawlings took the victim’s wallet, which contained $700 in cash.
On May 30, 2023, two victims were installing a deck at a home in the 1300 block of Montello Avenue, NE, when Rawlings and his co-conspirator entered through a rear gate. The armed men forced the victims into the basement, then to the ground at gunpoint. Once inside, the victims were robbed at gunpoint.
On June 27, 2023, three workers remodeling a home in the 1100 block of Owen Place, NE, were confronted by Rawlings and his co-conspirator. Rawlings pointed a firearm at the victims, ordered them to raise their hands, and, with his co-conspirator, stole U.S. currency before fleeing.
On June 28, 2023, MPD officers executed a search warrant at Rawlings’ residence in the Trinidad neighborhood and recovered a loaded Glock 19 handgun, along with clothing matching the clothing depicted in surveillance footage from various robberies. Rawlings was arrested the same day and has remained in custody since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmanuel Hampton and Wes Faulkner, who prosecuted the case.