Armed Robber Convicted at Trial

ALLENTOWN, PA—Robert J. Pennington, 22, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was convicted today of 16 counts in connection with multiple armed robberies committed between December 27, 2007, and February 4, 2008, during which delivery truck drivers were assaulted and robbed at gunpoint in Reading, Pennsylvania, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger and Berks County District Attorney John Adams. Pennington was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, one count of attempted interference with interstate commerce by robbery, seven counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery, and seven counts of using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.

U.S. District Court Judge James Knoll Gardner scheduled sentencing for April 2011. Pennington faces a mandatory 157 years in prison.

This case is part of the “222 Corridor Anti-Gang Initiative,” a federally funded program designed to defeat some of the most violent and pervasive gangs in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The “222 Corridor” includes the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading, Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg. This initiative combines federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to attack gang crime and violence throughout the corridor.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, and the Reading Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph A. LaBar and Sherri A. Stephan.