A 24-year-old man identified by federal prosecutors as a leader of an armed robbery crew that carried out a string of violent home invasions, including multiple crimes in Kent, has pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
Christopher Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court and faces up to life in prison when sentenced May 6, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Lauren King.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, both prosecutors and the defense will recommend a 25-year prison sentence.
U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced the plea, saying Johnson admitted participating in a pattern of violent crimes alongside codefendant Kevin Thissel, 29, and others.
According to the plea agreement, the group targeted families in the summer of 2022, sometimes identifying potential victims through social media posts about wealth or valuables. Prosecutors say the crew created a climate of fear by bursting into homes in the middle of the night dressed in black, claiming to be police and carrying guns. They wore masks and used zip ties to restrain victims, including children as young as 9, while stealing valuables. In one case in Everett, a young mother was fatally shot as her 7-year-old child lay next to her in bed.
Federal documents say each member had a specific role, including selecting targets, surveilling homes, driving, forcing entry, holding victims at gunpoint and ransacking houses. Some participants were juveniles.
Several of the crimes Johnson admitted involvement in occurred in Kent.
Those incidents include a May 27, 2022 burglary of an unoccupied Kent residence, a June 19, 2022 attempted burglary of an occupied Kent home in which a resident fired at the crew causing them to flee, a July 28, 2022 armed robbery of a woman in Kent followed by her abduction to force her to withdraw cash from ATMs, and an Aug. 12, 2022 robbery in which two Kent residents were locked in a closet while their home was ransacked.
The plea agreement also lists robberies and related crimes in Mount Vernon, Mercer Island, Burien and Everett, including the fatal shooting in Everett.
Under the agreement, Johnson will also plead guilty to second degree murder in Snohomish County Superior Court for the Aug. 19, 2022 fatal shooting of Irah Marcello Sok. Prosecutors and the defense will recommend a 25-year sentence on that charge to run concurrent with the federal sentence. Johnson is asking that the judge recommend he serve his time in the Washington state prison system, though the judge will decide whether to make that recommendation.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Kent Police Department, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the Mount Vernon Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Brian Wynne are prosecuting the case.
