D.C. Officer Admits to Brutal Face-Stomping

WASHINGTON – Brigette O. Robertson, a former Special Police Officer (SPO) in Washington, D.C., admitted in federal court today to a sickening act of brutality: stomping on the face of a woman she was detaining. The incident, which occurred in June 2023, has finally resulted in a guilty plea, announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

According to court documents, Robertson, then employed by Specific Protection Services, LLC., was providing security at a McDonald’s restaurant located on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE. A verbal dispute with a patron quickly spiraled into a physical confrontation. While Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrived to de-escalate the situation and gain control of the woman, Robertson took matters into her own hands. With the patron already subdued and lying prone on the ground, Robertson deliberately stepped over her and stomped forcefully on her face.

The impact caused immediate pain and bleeding, a clear violation of the woman’s constitutional rights. Robertson, licensed to act as a law enforcement officer in D.C., had no legal justification for the attack. The FBI’s Washington Field Office, working alongside the MPD Internal Affairs Division, investigated the incident, building a case that led to today’s guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

Robertson now faces a potential penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for the misdemeanor count of violating constitutional rights. Sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2025. While a conviction is secured, the notoriously high bar for proving “willfulness” in these cases – demonstrating the officer acted with deliberate intent to violate the law – remains a significant hurdle in securing meaningful accountability for police misconduct.

U.S. Attorney Pirro’s office emphasized its commitment to reviewing all police-involved use of force incidents, but acknowledged the difficulty in proving civil rights violations. Prosecutors must prove not only excessive force, but also that the officer *knowingly* and *intentionally* acted unlawfully. This case, while resulting in a guilty plea, highlights the ongoing struggle to hold law enforcement accountable for brutality.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Truscott of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting the case. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing and any further developments. Case number: 25cr167. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential for abuse of power and the importance of vigilant oversight of those entrusted with upholding the law.

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