WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- A 50-year-old man will have to serve 24 years in prison for robbing restaurant, bar and cafe patrons, usually young women, in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area between September 15, 2011 and January 24, 2012.
Winston Jackson, also known as Winston Brown, of D.C. was sentenced on Tuesday for charges in seven incidents. The jury found him guilty in May of robbery, theft and credit card fraud.
Jackson will be placed on three years of supervised release after serving time in prison.
According to the government's evidence, Jackson usually chose a young woman at the establishment and then maneuvered to be seated near her. Authorities say he would wait behind the woman, and using a jacket or a bag as a foil to conceal his actions, he would steal the victim's wallet or purse.
Jackson would then go to the Gallery Place Metro station and purchase $20 paper fare cards, or buy movie tickets in batches at the Regal Cinema theater at Gallery Place, possibly for resale. Authorities said he used multiple credit cards at the Metro station and theater after each robbery, racking up thousands of dollars.
Authorities say because Jackson robbed his victims from behind they were usually unable to describe his appearance, but one restaurant manager was able to identify him from surveillance video. Another manager looking at photos told authorities he remembered the man acting suspiciously in his bar on the day of a robbery in December 2011. Comparing credit card charges also established a pattern that lead to identifying Jackson as a suspect and he was arrested in January 2012.