Four Men Sentenced for Armed Robbery Spree in Virginia and North Carolina

RICHMOND, Va. – Four men were sentenced this week for their roles in several armed robberies of commercial establishments in Virginia and North Carolina.

Each of the four men listed below pleaded guilty on November 14, 2016 to robbery affecting interstate commerce and using a firearm during a crime of violence:

According to court documents, from May 6, 2016 through May 12, 2016, all four defendants robbed four Walgreens Pharmacy stores and one CVS Pharmacy in the Eastern District of Virginia, including in Williamsburg, Chesterfield, Henrico, Mechanicsville and Woodbridge. Subsequently, the four defendants traveled to North Carolina, where they robbed two Walgreens stores in Apex and Durham on May 16, 2016.

Immediately following the May 16 robbery in Durham, law enforcement performed a traffic stop on the vehicle the defendants traveled in and found evidence from the North Carolina robberies. From subsequent investigation, law enforcement linked the defendants to the robberies in the Eastern District of Virginia. Defendants Cogdell, Jones and Mullen were also found to have participated in several more commercial robberies occurring in Hampton, Virginia, from October 2015 through April 2016.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony and David V. Harbach, II, prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:16-cr-103.