A member of a violent home invasion robbery crew that targeted families across Western Washington, including victims in South King County, was sentenced this week to 25 years in federal prison for racketeering and conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
Christopher Joseph Johnson, 24, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle after pleading guilty in February to participating in a pattern of violent crimes committed by the robbery crew during the summer of 2022. Johnson also admitted aiding and abetting the murder of Irah Marcello Sok, who was fatally shot during a home invasion robbery in Snohomish County on Aug. 19, 2022.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Lauren King told Johnson:
“You used violence, fear, and intimidation… The victims face unthinkable trauma due to you and your coconspirators insatiable greed.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the robbery crew operated from South King County to Skagit County, targeting families believed to possess valuables based on social media posts or other information. Crew members allegedly conducted surveillance, forced entry into homes, restrained victims with zip ties, held them at gunpoint and stole valuables. Prosecutors said the victims included children as young as 9, and some members of the robbery crew were juveniles.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said the crimes affected families throughout the Interstate 5 corridor.
“This crime ring terrorized people up and down the I-5 corridor, women, children, families, anyone they thought had valuables they could steal,” Floyd said in a statement. “This lengthy sentence keeps this defendant off the streets until he is well into his 40’s, protecting the public and hopefully making a change in his behavior.”
The FBI said the crew committed a series of violent crimes over approximately six months.
“Throughout the summer of 2022, Mr. Johnson and his co conspirators conducted a series of terrifying and destructive home invasions, stopping at nothing in pursuit of their ill gotten gains, including murder, kidnapping, and other violence,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office.
According to court records cited by prosecutors, Johnson admitted participating in crimes that included:
- A May 24, 2022, armed robbery of a family in Mount Vernon and the kidnapping of a young boy.
- A May 24, 2022, attempted burglary on Mercer Island in which a robber fired a gun.
- A May 27, 2022, burglary of an unoccupied residence in Kent.
- A June 19, 2022, attempted burglary of an occupied residence in Kent in which a resident fired at the robbery crew, causing them to flee.
- A July 14, 2022, armed robbery of a couple in Burien.
- A July 28, 2022, armed robbery and kidnapping of a woman in Kent to force her to withdraw cash from ATMs.
- An Aug. 12, 2022, robbery of two Kent residents who were locked in a closet while their home was ransacked.
- The Aug. 19, 2022, Snohomish County home invasion in which Sok was killed.
Some of the criminal acts described in Johnson’s plea agreement were not formally charged but were considered by Judge King during sentencing, according to prosecutors.
Johnson also pleaded guilty in Snohomish County Superior Court to second degree murder in connection with Sok’s death. He received a concurrent 25 year sentence for that conviction, meaning it will be served at the same time as his federal sentence. Judge King recommended Johnson serve his sentence in the Washington state prison system.
Following his release from prison, Johnson will serve five years of supervised release. A hearing to determine restitution for victims is scheduled for Sept. 22, 2026.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Vernon Police Department, Kent Police Department and King County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Brian Wynne.
