Monday, June 3, 2024

WASHINGTON –Rodrigo Miranda, 43, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court to more than seven years in prison for felony second-degree theft, unlawful entry, and destruction of property stemming from events occurring between July 19, 2022, and April 4, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            After hearing the impact of Miranda’s conduct on the community, the Court imposed 60 months for one theft conviction, 24 months for another theft conviction, and 180 days for a third theft, all to run consecutively, resulting in a total sentence of seven years plus 180 days in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, between July 19, 2022, and April 4, 2023, Miranda took packages from several locations in the Adams Morgan area. In doing so, Miranda unlawfully entered areas he was not legally allowed to be in and destroyed property to gain access. Miranda had multiple prior theft convictions and was therefore subject to the enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison. The government had indicted Miranda on 43-counts, and Miranda had accepted a plea agreement to resolve all his charges on March 29, 2024. 

            At sentencing, the Court heard several victim impact statements, including one victim who shared that “Miranda’s crimes have . . . . left [him] feeling deeply unsafe in [his] own home and neighborhood.”  The Court learned that the “community has vested a good amount of time and effort into bring Mr. Miranda to justice. And it appears to have paid off, as, interestingly, once Mr. Miranda was arrested, the attempted package thefts in [the] building plummeted. It’s barely a problem at all now. His absence has brought a sense of relief to [the] community.” 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Connor Mulvey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie Anderson.