Belleville Man Sentenced To 15 Plus Years In Prison For Convenience Store Robbery

Patrick S. McGuire, 49, of Belleville, Illinois was sentenced on May 11, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois to 188 months in prison and three years of supervised release for charges stemming from a robbery at Circle K Gas Station, located at 421 South Belt East, Belleville, IL, on July 25, 2014, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Evidence showed that in the early morning hours of July 25, 2014, McGuire entered the Circle K Gas Station with a plastic bag over his head and a plastic bag covering a pointed object in his hand and demanded money from the lone clerk. McGuire got about $60 from the robbery. McGuire had been on probation for less than two weeks for a 2013 felony offense when he committed the robbery.

"As I said when I initiated this program, we will not stop our aggressive prosecutions of these cases until this scourge of robberies abates. If you are thinking about this type of opportunistic crime, be warned – federal penalties are harsh. You will serve a long time far away from your family and friends!" said United States Attorney Wigginton.

Noting McGuire’s fourteen previous felony convictions and over thirty misdemeanor convictions, the Honorable Nancy J. Rosenstengel commented that McGuire’s criminal history was "the most extensive criminal history I have seen" and called the robbery "one of many brazen robberies in this area." In sentencing McGuire to over fifteen years in prison, she stated, "I don’t think I’ve seen a case where there’s a stronger need to protect the public."

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Belleville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Reppert.