Third Defendant Pleads Guilty to Role in Pharmacy Robbery

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Lackey man pleaded guilty today to robbery and brandishing a firearm.

According to court documents, Tysean L. Ransome, 25, along with Derrick Johnson, entered the Glendale Pharmacy in Newport News and robbed two employees of prescription pills at gunpoint. A third defendant, Jonathan Williams, directed Ransome and Johnson to do the robbery.

Co-defendants Johnson and Williams each previously pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing in June and July, respectively. 

Ransome pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He faces a mandatory minimum of 7 years to life on the firearms charge and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the robbery charge when sentenced on July 15. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea. Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-6.