D.C. Burglar Gets 70 Months for Sleeping Victim Rip-Off

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A brazen burglary that saw a D.C. woman’s apartment violated while she slept has landed Nathaniel Robinson, 36, of Washington, D.C., a hefty 70-month prison sentence. The sentencing, handed down today in Superior Court, marks the culmination of a case that highlights the vulnerability of city residents to predatory criminals.

According to court documents, on the night of March 6, 2025, Robinson targeted the victim’s apartment, slipping inside while she was sound asleep. The victim, unaware of the intrusion, didn’t discover the crime until the following morning. Around 9:00 a.m., while preparing for work, she noticed her bag was missing. A search revealed her cell phone, credit cards, and even a key fob granting access to the building’s wine cellar, had also vanished.

The victim immediately contacted police using her work phone, triggering an investigation that quickly zeroed in on Robinson. Surveillance footage from the apartment building proved crucial. It showed Robinson attempting to force his way into the lobby entrance, failing, then brazenly scaling a gate and entering through the victim’s patio door. The footage captured a chilling thirteen-minute window – from Robinson’s initial failed lobby break-in to his departure with the victim’s stolen red bag.

Robinson was apprehended on March 7, 2025, and has remained in custody ever since. He ultimately pleaded guilty on June 4, 2025, to one count of first-degree burglary. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro didn’t show leniency, sentencing him to the aforementioned 70 months behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release, with three years suspended.

“This case underscores the Metropolitan Police Department’s commitment to protecting our residents from violent crime,” stated Chief Pamela Smith in a joint announcement with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “We will continue to work tirelessly to bring perpetrators like Robinson to justice.”

U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith specifically commended the investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Skopicki, who successfully prosecuted the case. This conviction serves as a stark warning to would-be burglars: invading a D.C. resident’s home won’t pay – it will land you in a cell.

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