Former Special Police Officer Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Violating Arrestee’s Rights
SPO Stomped on Citizen’s Face
WASHINGTON / Thursday, February 19, 2026 – Brigette O. Robertson, 40, a former special police officer residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 12 months in prison in connection with violating the constitutional rights of a detained citizen by stomping on her face in June 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Robertson pleaded guilty on July 22, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich to a misdemeanor count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
According to court documents, on June 24, 2023, Robertson was employed by Specific Protection Services, LLC., as a Special Police Officer (SPO). She was licensed in the District of Columbia to act and to carry out law enforcement actions as an SPO. That day, while in full uniform and vested with police powers, Robertson was providing security services at a McDonald’s restaurant on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE.
At about 3:30 p.m., Robertson got into a verbal altercation with a patron at the restaurant. The altercation escalated into a physical confrontation. Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the scene. After the patron was under the control of an MPD officer, the patron remained prone on the ground. Robertson stepped over the patron and, while doing so, stomped on the patron’s face. The stomp to the face caused the patron to experience pain and bleeding. The stomp was without legal justification and in violation of the individual’s constitutional rights.
Joining in U.S. Attorney in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.
Use-of-force investigations generally
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews police-involved use of force to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law. To prove civil rights violations, prosecutors must typically be able to prove that the involved officers willfully used more force than was reasonably necessary. Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden. Prosecutors must not only prove that the force used was excessive, but must also prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division investigated the case. Prosecuting the case is Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Truscott for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia
USADC.Media@usdoj.gov
