FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Defendant Tried to Rob a Stranger at Knifepoint

            WASHINGTON – Stephen Waller, 32, of Laurel, Maryland, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison on an attempted robbery charge, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Waller pleaded guilty in August 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to attempted robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable J. Michael Ryan. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 10, 2022, at approximately 11 p.m., Waller approached a stranger with a knife and demanded the victim’s cell phone. The victim escaped and flagged down MPD officers near 6000 Georgia Avenue NW, directing them to Waller’s location. MPD officers stopped Waller near the scene of the crime. He had a knife in his pocket. At the time of the offense, Waller was on probation for Maryland convictions of second-degree assault and theft of property or services. He has been held since his arrest.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos A. Valdivia and Jared English, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.