A D.C. man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a series of armed robberies of taxi drivers in May and June of 2009.

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Kevin Stoddard, 45, was convicted in November 2011 of four counts of armed robbery, one count of attempted robbery, and weapons-related offenses.

Stoddard targeted five taxicab drivers. He robbed four victims at gunpoint and attempted to rob another. In all but the final robbery, Stoddard entered the victims' cabs in the Chinatown area of Northwest Washington, near Seventh and H Streets NW, and asked to be taken to areas that turned out to be secluded locations in Northwest or Northeast Washington, where Stoddard had personal ties.

Stoddard typically put the drivers at ease by engaging them in conversations about his personal life and family. Many of the details Stoddard told the cab drivers were actually true and the government and police were able to link him to the robberies with these details.

Stoddard hailed his fifth victim near Georgia Avenue and Piney Branch Road NW. He directed the driver to the 1300 block of Tuckerman Street NW, where he robbed the driver at gunpoint. This victim reported that at the time of the robbery, Stoddard was wearing a distinctive yellow shirt with black designs and carrying a beer in a black plastic bag.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) located surveillance videotape from a liquor store less than two blocks from the spot where Stoddard had hailed the cab. The video captures Stoddard wearing the same yellow and black shirt and purchasing a beer in a black bag shortly before the robbery. Stoddard was arrested the following day, June 8, 2009, for another offense.