Isaiah Chase, a 27-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for his involvement in an armed robbery at Busboys and Poets, a café and bookstore located on K Street NW. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., alongside FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan from the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Chase entered a guilty plea on August 5, 2024, to charges of brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, who also imposed five years of supervised release following Chase's prison term.
Court documents reveal that Chase was part of a group conspiring with an employee from Busboys and Poets to carry out the robbery on February 6, 2022. The employee coordinated with Chase to enter the premises at around 9:30 p.m., once a specific individual was visible at the front.
Dressed in dark clothing and masks, Chase and two accomplices entered as staff were closing for the night. They brandished firearms at employees but left without obtaining any money. Instead, they took keys from the business before fleeing in a vehicle.
Chase was apprehended on November 4, 2022, at his apartment in Silver Spring. During the arrest, law enforcement recovered multiple firearms including a loaded Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun and other weapons along with ammunition and marijuana intended for distribution.
The case investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and MPD's Carjacking Task Force. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Solomon Eppel and Matthew Kinskey.