Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Role in Violent Armed Robbery and the Planning of an Attempted Armed Home Invasion

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Willie Singletary, aka “Woo,” 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe to 17 years in prison and 3 years’ of supervised release for his role in a violent armed robbery and the planning of an attempted armed home invasion. The sentence will run consecutive to a 10 to 30 year sentence the defendant is already serving in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In October of last year, the defendant pleaded guilty to a four-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on November 20, 2019, Singletary, Shaquan Brown, and another co-conspirator set out to rob a Philadelphia laundromat and the attached residence.

At about 7:30 that morning, the three offenders, each armed with a firearm, encountered a laundromat employee. At gunpoint, they forced him inside the business and downstairs into its basement. At least one of the robbers repeatedly punched the victim, still at gunpoint, while the victim screamed for help. One of the offenders restrained the victim, tying his hands together behind his back.

Singletary and Brown then went upstairs into the laundromat owner’s residence. Upon encountering the owner, the defendant repeatedly punched him, and Brown assaulted a female victim who was also upstairs. The robbers stole approximately $30,000, which was to be used to renovate the business, then fled the scene.

Singletary subsequently provided information to Brown about an individual whom the defendant believed had substantial amounts of cash. Singletary instructed Brown to install a GPS tracker on their intended victim’s vehicle, to figure out where he lived, and Brown did so. The defendant directed Brown that Brown shouldn’t be afraid to get “grimy” and that “nothing is off limits” during the robbery.

On the morning of January 3, 2020, Brown and another person attempted to break into their target’s Chester County, Pa., residence to commit an armed home invasion robbery. When the home security alarm system went off, the police responded and arrested Brown after a foot chase, recovering duct tape, zip ties, and a firearm from Brown’s backpack.

“What Singletary and his buddies put their victims through was terrifying,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Being menaced at gunpoint and then physically assaulted is something they’ll likely never forget. All because the defendant would rather steal other people’s money than make an honest living of his own. As this case shows, we simply will not permit criminals to terrorize innocent people for profit.”

“Willie Singletary led a vicious robbery of a Philadelphia Laundromat, threatening their victims’ lives at gunpoint and brutalizing them,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Having directed a further attempted robbery, Singletary is now going to federal prison where he will no longer endanger his neighborhood. ATF Philadelphia Field Division’s has a long history of partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office, and we will continue to work tirelessly together to ensure justice for the victims and to make our communities safer.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony J. Carissimi and J. Jeanette Kang.