Baltimore Man Exiled to over 15 Years “Hard Time for Gun Crime” after Three Armed Robberies

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Lydell Pittman, age 24, of Baltimore, today to 181 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for robbery and using a firearm during the robbery.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein; and Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts.

“Lydell Pittman will serve more than 15 years in federal prison for using a gun to commit robberies,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “We are reducing violent crime by making sure criminals spend hard time for gun crime.”

According to his plea agreement, on October 27, 2012, Pittman and another individual entered a cell phone store on Security Boulevard in Baltimore, pointed a handgun at a clerk’s face and demanded money. One of the robbers ordered the clerk to lie on the floor while the other took approximately $400 from the store. Pittman’s fingerprint was recovered from behind the counter of the store.

That same day Pittman and the other individual robbed an employee at a dry clean store on Reisterstown Road in Baltimore. One of the robbers pointed a gun at the clerk while the other stole $835 from the cash registers. Several witnesses identified Pittman and the other robber from video footage of the robbery, as well as the robbers’ getaway vehicle.

On November 16, 2012, Pittman and the other individual robbed a check cashing store on Windsor Mill Road in Baltimore. They pointed a gun at an employee, and told him to get down or he would die. They took $14,000 from two lock boxes and a cash register. A court-ordered GPS placed Pittman’s car at the store at the time of the robbery.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore County and City Police Departments and Baltimore County and City State’s Attorney=s Offices for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who prosecuted the case.