New Carrollton Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for the Armed Robberies of Cell Phone Stores

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Tyran Antwain Lane, age 23, of New Carrollton, Maryland, today to 13 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy, armed robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, related to the robberies of cell phone stores.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department.         

According to his plea agreement, from January 29, 2013 through July 4, 2014, Lane was part of a conspiracy to rob cell phone stores in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Montgomery Counties, along with co-defendants Donald Scott Deans, and Parris Benjamin Chisholm.  The conspirators robbed a total of 10 stores during the course of the conspiracy and Lane actively participated in seven of those robberies.

Specifically, Lane, Dean Chisholm, and others, planned and organized the theft of cash, credit cards, cell phones, portable electronic communications devices, and tablet computers from businesses, their employees and customers. Lane, Dean and Chisholm then sold the stolen property for cash.  According to their plea agreement and other court documents Lane, Dean or Chisholm used and brandished a gun to intimidate the employees during the robberies. In at least seven of the armed robberies the defendants used duct tape or other items to restrain employees and trash bags to carry the stolen items. The defendants used Chisholm’s car to travel to and from the robberies and to transport the stolen property and guns used during the robberies until Chisholm’s arrest on March 26, 2013.  After Chisholm’s arrest, Lane and Deans committed at least four additional robberies, including two in Virginia.

Cell phone records show that Lane, Dean, Chisholm and others involved in the robberies and/or the sale of the stolen items communicated by cell phone calls and text messages before and after the robberies.  In addition, Lane, Dean and Chisholm were all captured on surveillance video at least once during the robbery spree.

Chisholm was arrested on March 26, 2013, after he used a rock to break the front window of a cell phone store in the 7700 block of Belair Road in Baltimore County, and stole four cell phones.  Police pulled him over and recovered new and used rolls of duct tape, clothing, and hats similar to those described by victims of the previous robberies from the car.  The stolen cell phones were also recovered from the car.  Video from the victim store recorded Chisholm as he committed the robbery.         

Donald Scott Deans, age 23, of Largo, Maryland and Parris Benjamin Chisholm, age 24, of Millersville, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their participation in the robberies. Chisholm was sentenced to 16 years in prison and Deans is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2015, at 2:00 p.m.  Deans remains detained.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI, Anne Arundel County, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County Police Departments, for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney John F. Purcell, Jr., who is prosecuting the case.