The robbers demanded money but left with nothing but keys to the business … and now a prison sentence.
WASHINGTON — A Silver Spring man was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in helping plan and rob a Northwest D.C. bookstore and cafe at gunpoint.
(Editor’s Note: The video above was published on Feb. 7, 2022)
According to the Department of Justice, 27-year-old Isaiah Chase was one of several people who worked with an employee at Busboys and Poets to rob the business three years ago.
Chase pleaded guilty in August 2024 to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Chase to 84 months, or seven years, in a federal prison. Additionally, Chase will have to serve five years of supervised release.
Court documents show Chase was one of multiple people who worked with an employee to rob the K Street NW bookstore and cafe on Feb. 6, 2022. The worker reportedly told Chase to come to the store around 9:30 p.m., when a specific person would be at the front of Busboys and Poets.
Chase and others entered the bookstore and cafe dressed in all dark clothing, masks and hoodies, as the staff was cleaning up for the night, according to DOJ officials. While inside, each of the robbers took out guns and pointed them at workers.
The robbers demanded money but left with nothing but keys to the business.
In November 2022, nine months after the robbery, Chase was arrested at his Silver Spring home. While searching his home, investigators reportedly found several guns and ammunition.