Armed Robber Who Used Facebook Marketplace to Lure Victims Gets 10-Year Prison Sentence

WASHINGTON - Isaiah Green, 19, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for committing two gunpoint robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Green pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery while armed on May 2, 2024, before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Leibovitz also ordered Green to serve five years of supervised release.

According to the evidence, with which Green agreed, he robbed two victims at gunpoint on August 19 and December 3, 2023. In the days leading up to the August 19, 2023, robbery, Victim 1 had seen a Stihl brand saw advertised for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Victim 1 contacted the advertiser and arranged to meet on the 5100 block of B St. SE. When Victim 1 arrived, Green and an accomplice grabbed the victim and robbed him at gunpoint, taking his cell phone, wallet, credit and debit cards, and checks totaling $1,500. A citizen came to the victim's aid after the robbery and called 911.

In the days leading up to the December 3, 2023, robbery, Victim 2 spotted an item advertised on Facebook Marketplace, a Hilti Laser, and contacted the advertiser to buy it. Victim 2 agreed to meet the advertiser in the 3600 block of Highwood Drive, SE. Victim 2 drove with his wife to Highwood Drive, where a man then got out of his car with a box. As Victim 2 got of his car to inspect the item, two assailants approached him, held him at gunpoint, and took his wallet, containing cash and bank cards, and an iPhone 13. The gunmen then pointed their guns at Victim 2's wife and rifled through the center console of the car taking additional cash and a card. All three men then drove off together.

Working in tandem with Prince George's County Police, MPD Detectives obtained evidence from Facebook and used that information to identify Green. Police executed a search warrant at Green's residence on December 21, 2023. During the search, police found a phone that was linked to the Facebook account used in the robbery of Victim 1, Victim 2's wallet, credit cards and identification card on a dresser in the same room, and the Hilti laser and box used to lure Victim 2 from his car.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves 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 Iris McCranie and Elizabeth Van Haasteren, who investigated and prosecuted the case.