Darius Robertson, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for leading a scheme to smuggle weapons, fentanyl, and cell phones into the Central Detention Facility (CDF), also known as the D.C. Jail, while awaiting trial for murder. The sentence was handed down in U.S. District Court and announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Robertson pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025, to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States before Judge Timothy J. Kelly. Earlier in June, he had pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the October 2021 beating death of his cousin Andre Robertson. Sentencing for that case is scheduled for November 7, 2025. The court ruled that Robertson’s latest sentence will run consecutively to his forthcoming sentence on the manslaughter charge.
“Joining in the announcement were Director Tom Faust of the D.C. Department of Corrections, FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.”
Court documents show that between December 2021 and July 2024, Robertson conspired with at least two other detainees from Clay Terrace neighborhood, two correctional officers, and two community members who delivered contraband into CDF.
Items targeted for smuggling in February 2024 included a switchblade knife; an Apple iPhone and charger; eyeglasses; marijuana; tobacco; rolling papers; gambling dice; sheets of paper containing synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA (a Schedule I Controlled Substance); packages of marijuana; and approximately 100 cigarettes.
After several smuggling incidents in July 2024, officials conducted a search at CDF which led to seizures including 269 blue pills testing positive for fentanyl; cigarettes soaked in unknown liquid; suboxone strips; cell phones; and more cigarettes.
Co-defendants who have pleaded guilty are LaTara Brown of Capitol Heights, Maryland; Kiya Holland of Oxon Hill, Maryland; Marcel Vines and Stefon Freshley of Washington D.C.
Vines received a life plus 60 years sentence on March 7 for unrelated kidnappings and murders carried out as retaliation for another slaying. On August 13, he received an additional consecutive sentence of 46 months related to this smuggling scheme.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office along with the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services and Metropolitan Police Department. Assistance came from the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Gold and Sarah Santiago.
