LONG STRETCHES for ARMED WRETCHES
Christmas armed robbers preyed on residents taking cell phones, wallets and gifts at gunpoint; now sent to the slammer
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Floyd Long was sentenced on Feb. 18, 2015 to 19 ½ years in prison and his cousin, Alonzo Ferrell, was sentenced to a 15-year prison term for carrying out a series of four armed robberies in Northwest and Northeast Washington on Christmas Eve and Christmas of 2012, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Long, 23, of Washington, D.C., and Ferrell, 23, of Capitol Heights, Md., were found guilty by a jury in November 2014 of conspiracy, armed robbery, receiving stolen property, fleeing law enforcement, and various weapons offenses. The verdicts followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. They were sentenced by the Honorable John McCabe. Following their prison terms, both will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Long and Ferrell, together with two accomplices, obtained four handguns and a stolen car, and then conspired to commit armed robberies in the District of Columbia. At about 11:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve 2012, the four men drove into darkened residential streets looking for potential robbery victims.
At around 11:15 p.m., they robbed their first victim at gunpoint in the 200 block of Hamilton Street NW, taking from him an iPhone and an iPad. Next, they drove to the unit block of Webster Street NE, and robbed their second victim at gunpoint, obtaining a cellphone and $160. They then drove to the 600 block of Jefferson Street NE, and found their third victim bringing gifts into his home. They put guns to his head, and robbed him of $3 and a cell phone. They committed their fourth robbery at about 12:12 a.m. on Christmas Day, in the 1700 block of Varnum Street NE. This last victim initially resisted, but the men assaulted him and took his wallet, which contained $15.
Long, Ferrell and their accomplices were spotted in their stolen car a short while later, in the 5600 block of Central Avenue SE. They initially fled from police, but after a brief pursuit, Long and Ferrell were apprehended.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Paralegal Specialists Lynette Briggs and Debra McPherson; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan; Victim/Witness Security Specialist David Foster; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natalia Medina, Laura Coates, and Danny Nguyen, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Britain Shaw and Trevor McFadden. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Demian S. Ahn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.