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Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Co-defendants Marquis Moore, age 35, and Milek Rankin, age 29, both of Baltimore, each pleaded guilty to committing a series of armed commercial robberies and to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Moore entered his guilty plea on March 7, 2022 and Rankin pleaded guilty today.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
According to the statements of fact filed as part of Moore’s and Rankin’s guilty pleas, from at least November 2018 through March 1, 2019, Moore and Rankin, along with co-defendant Dontrell Glover, conspired to commit robberies of commercial businesses, including fast-food restaurants, video game stores, cell phone stores, and discount stores in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County. During each robbery, Moore brandished a firearm, to use fear to obtain money and/or other items from the businesses.
For example, on January 4, 2019, Moore and Rankin robbed a cell phone store in Essex, Maryland. Moore carried a loaded handgun. When the store employee resisted giving the robbers money from the business, Moore took the magazine out of the handgun, showed it to the employee, and said, “You can see it’s loaded. We’re not playing games. Give us the d**n money.” The handgun was loaded with hollow point bullets. During the robbery, Moore struck the employee with the handgun. Moore and Rankin fled using a get-away vehicle driven by Glover. The robbers stole $739 from the store.
Moore and Rankin admitted that they committed at least eight additional robberies, with Moore brandishing a gun during each robbery, often pointing the gun at employees. Moore and Rankin fled each robbery using the same get-away vehicle driven by Glover. The conspirators stole a total of at least $15,500 in cash, as well as merchandise, including game systems and food.
Moore, Rankin, and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreements, Moore and Rankin will each be sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled Moore’s sentencing for June 7, 2022 and Rankin’s sentencing for June 23, 2022, each at 11:00 a.m. Dontrell Glover, age 30, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the robberies and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28, 2022.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey N. McCulley and John W. Sippel, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Marcia Murphy
(410) 209-4854