Baltimore Robber Exiled to 14 Years in Prison

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Gregory Graham, age 24, of Baltimore, today to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to his plea agreement, Graham, co-defendant Lamonte Rice and others agreed to commit armed robberies of commercial businesses. Some co-conspirators were present at the robberies, while others participated by providing, through text messages and telephone conversations, surveillance assistance and instructions on how to complete the robberies.

For example, on October 29, 2010, Graham and another individual forced a clerk at the Royal Farms convenience store, located at 1601 Middleborough Road, in Essex, Maryland, to open the cash register. Graham pointed a gun at the clerk during the robbery. Graham and his accomplice fled with money and approximately five packs of cigarettes. Graham provided the handgun used by two conspirators in the November 18, 2010 robbery of the same convenience store. The gun was pointed at the clerk’s head during this second robbery.

Through telephone conversations and text messages, Graham also ordered co-conspirators to rob the Royal Farms store at 898 South Marlyn Avenue, Essex, Maryland, on December 6, 2010. During the robbery, the conspirators carried a bag with what appeared to be a long gun inside and pointed the weapon at a clerk. Later investigation revealed that the purported long gun was actually a vacuum cleaner tube.

Rice is awaiting sentencing. The other conspirators were convicted in Baltimore County Circuit Court for their roles in the robberies.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Antonio J. Reynolds and Michael Hanlon, who prosecuted the case.