A Pittsburgh man was sentenced in federal court to 15 years in prison for committing a series of armed robberies at cell phone stores.
Richard James, 33, was sentenced to 180 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $26,583.43 in restitution on his conviction of robbery and firearms violations, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced.
James brandished a pistol at store employees during the robberies, which took place around the Pittsburgh area in April and May of 2021. During one robbery, he ordered a store employee to the ground at gunpoint before demanding that the employee put cell phones in his bag, according to court documents. At another robbery, he rushed an employee as she was entering the back storage area of the store and then dragged her into the room. While holding that employee at gunpoint, James demanded that a second employee fill his bag with cell phones, Olshan said.
“The successful investigation and prosecution of Richard James for his commission of several violent armed robberies was a collaborative effort between our office, the ATF, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Swissvale Police Department, and Wilkinsburg Police Department,” said Olshan. “Among the results of that collaboration is that James will be spending the next decade and a half in federal prison. The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels to help protect our communities from gun violence and prosecute those who attempt to carry out such crimes.”
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