A Maryland man, Roberto McBean, has been sentenced to serve 78 months in prison following a series of robberies he committed across Georgetown and Glover Park. As reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, McBean, age 31, from Hyattsville, MD, executed 10 robberies, six of which involved a firearm, over a span from August 2023 to January 2024. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves alongside representatives from the FBI and Metropolitan Police Department.
McBean, previously employed by the Architect of the Capitol, pled guilty to four counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery on April 26, before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. In addition to his prison term, he was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. McBean's crimes began with a robbery at a Sunoco gas station using a hammer, where he compelled the clerk to hand over cash from the register. He brazenly went on to rob multiple other establishments, including multiple hits at the same locations and even held up a store at gunpoint on Thanksgiving.
The crime spree involved various tactics and weapons. He once brandished a vegetable knife, only to be thwarted by a bold customer. His series of attacks on the Glover Park Market included confrontations with the same employee he had previously robbed. It was during his final robbery at this location that a police officer spotted him, aiding in his apprehension, as the officer identified McBean's vehicle's license plate. The Justice Department cites that his actions had an impact on interstate commerce, given the stores' connections to it.
FBI agents arrested McBean on January 26. The robberies, while varied in execution, all led to the same outcome – interference with businesses that were involved in buying and selling goods across state lines. The FBI's Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force, alongside the Metropolitan Police Department, conducted the investigation, with Ryan Lipes and Omeed A. Assefi leading the prosecution of the case.
