Portsmouth Man Pleads Guilty to Using a Firearm During Robbery Sprees

NORFOLK, VA—Derrick Davon Roberts, 21, of Portsmouth, Va., pleaded guilty today in Norfolk federal court to two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Roberts’ plea was accepted by United States District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Roberts faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 32 years in prison when he is sentenced on February 22, 2012.

According to court documents, in late 2010 and early 2011 Roberts and a co-defendant robbed from eight to 10 commercial institutions in various cities in Hampton Roads, including a convenience store and a Comfort Inn Suites hotel. During the robberies, they brandished firearms and demanded money from the clerks. When Roberts and his co-defendant tried to rob the Comfort Inn Suites a second time, the clerk called the police and they were arrested. Roberts confessed to the robberies he had committed.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William D. Muhr is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.