Indiana Man Sentenced to 10 years and 10 months for Armed Pharmacy Robberies

United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that Devin Jefferson (age: 30) of Indianapolis, Indiana was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Judge Pamela Pepper to 130 months’ imprisonment for his involvement in three armed pharmacy robberies of Walgreens stores located in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. 

The investigation revealed that Jefferson and his co-actors traveled from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and arrived on May 7, 2017.  Over the next three days, Jefferson and his co-actors committed three armed robberies of pharmacies.  Jefferson pled guilty to the armed robberies of two Walgreens stores located in Milwaukee, on March 8, 2017 and March 10, 2017, respectively, and the armed robbery of a Walgreens store located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, on March 10, 2017.  Jefferson and his co-actors obtained a substantial number of prescription opioids, primarily Oxycodone and Percocets, during the course of their armed robbery spree.  At the sentencing, Judge Pepper emphasized the violent nature of these armed robberies, including the fact that one victim was held at gunpoint for a period of six minutes.  Judge Pepper stated that when she reviewed the surveillance video of that robbery, the word that came to mind was “cold blooded.” 

“No one who works in or visits a pharmacy should have to face a loaded gun,” said U.S. Attorney Krueger.  “These robberies highlight how the demand for prescription opioids in street markets drives violent crime; the defendant aimed to resell the pills he and his co-actors stole at gunpoint for a substantial profit.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with federal, state, and local partners to combat violent crime and the opioid epidemic to keep our communities safe.”

The Hobbs Act, passed by Congress in 1946, provides federal jurisdiction for cases involving violent criminals who commit armed robbery of businesses involved in interstate commerce.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with law enforcement partners to ensure that violent offenders are effectively prosecuted.  This prosecution resulted from the collaborative efforts of the following agencies: the Milwaukee Area Violent Crime Task Force; the Milwaukee, and Indianapolis Divisions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Milwaukee Police Department; the Menomonee Falls Police Department; the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office; and the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura S. Kwaterski and Benjamin Wesson.

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