Woman Who Kidnapped Her Roommate Gets Seven Year Prison Sentence

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Defendant and Her Cousin Beat Victim, Stole His Belongings, While Keeping Him Locked Inside of Her Vehicle

            WASHINGTON – Antoinette Gilmore, 28, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for the October 2023 kidnapping of her roommate, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            A jury convicted Gilmore of kidnapping on May 20, 2024. According to evidence presented at trial, on October 12, 2023, the victim, Michael Brown, got into an argument on the phone with Gilmore. During the argument, the defendant told Mr. Brown she wanted him out of her apartment. They agreed that the defendant would pick up Mr. Brown from downtown and bring him back to her apartment so that he could remove his belongings. Defendant Gilmore and her cousin went to pick up Mr. Brown. Once inside the car, the defendant instructed her cousin to punch and beat Mr. Brown and take his belongings as the defendant drove. Mr. Brown tried to get out of the car, but they locked the doors and trapped him from within.

            At one point, Mr. Brown was able to get the back car door open and escape. At the defendant’s direction, her cousin jumped out and chased Mr. Brown down, eventually catching him and dragging him by the collar of his shirt back into the defendant’s car. Once they reached their destination, Mr. Brown was pulled out of the car where he managed to break free. He ran straight to the Sixth District Police substation where he reported the incident to police.

            In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur ordered five years of supervised release.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Hanson and Lauren Miller of the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy and Supervisory Victim Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington.