Maryland

London Man Pleads Guilty to Assault, Attempted Robbery of Georgetown Student

A video posted on the suspect's own Facebook page helped investigators build their case

A London man who coerced a Georgetown University student off the streets and into his SUV in a robbery attempt pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting and attempting to rob the student.

Paolo Aldorasi, 34, pleaded guilty to assault and attempted robbery after prosecutors say he forced the student to attempt withdrawing cash at ATMs and make purchases at Cartier and Best Buy.

Aldorasi took a plea agreement in exchange for the government dropping a federal kidnapping charge against him, according to a statement released from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Aldorasi saw the student, who was walking on the 3400 block of O Street NW, on Jan. 26 and approached him in his white Chevrolet Equinox, asking for directions to Dulles airport, News4 reported in February.

When the student told Aldorasi that he didn’t know where the airport was, Aldorasi asked the student to use the Google Maps app on his phone. The student, who spoke a limited amount of English, said his phone only had a little data left, News4 reported.

As the conversation continued, Aldorasi ordered the student into his SUV and drove off, the statement said.

News4 reported that Aldorasi took the student to three ATMs in Georgetown and a Cartier store in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He drove the student to another ATM and a Best Buy in the Tenleytown neighborhood.

The student tried to withdraw amounts at the ATMs ranging from $200 to $500. All four transactions failed.

Aldorasi tried to get the student to purchase a $6,300 bracelet at Cartier and cellphones worth $846 in total at Best Buy. The student’s debit card was declined in those two stores.

After the last attempt at the Best Buy on the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, Aldorasi let the student go, according to the statement.

It was a video from Aldorasi’s Facebook page -- along with surveillance video, car rental records and data from license plate readers -- that led investigators to him in February. He was arrested in Seattle.

Aldorasi faces a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 15 years in prison, prosecutors said.

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