Harrisburg Man Convicted Of Firearms Offenses And Three Armed Robberies

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Maurice L. Ross, age 35, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was convicted on November 6, 2018, for unlawful possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and three armed robberies after a two-day jury trial before United States District Court Judge Yvette Kane.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the jury returned the verdict after approximately two hours of deliberations and convicted Ross of three counts of a felon in possession of a firearm (a Charter Arms .38 caliber revolver), three counts of interference with commerce by threats or violence, and three counts of carrying and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Ross robbed the Brookwood Mart, located in Harrisburg, by gunpoint on three separate occasions on December 8, 17, and 22, 2016. Each time, he stole hundreds of dollars of cash from the store registers.  Two of the three times, he also stole dozens of instant lottery tickets.

There was surveillance footage from the robberies, but Ross was heavily hooded and masked, so identification was a significant issue, but Ross cashed some of the stolen lottery tickets the morning after one of the robberies at another convenience store, before the tickets could even be reported stolen.  The PA Lottery provided the location, date and time of the cashings, and Harrisburg detectives were able to review in-store surveillance videos at the store where the tickets were cashed.  That surveillance footage revealed a license plate that led detectives to Ross’ residence where a search warrant was executed.  Detectives found the very distinctive gun Ross used in all three robberies, a shirt tied like a mask, a pair of black boots, a black knit hat and a flat-brimmed hat seen in surveillance footage. 

The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys James T. Clancy and Carl Marchioli prosecuted the case.

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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law for each of the unlawful possession of firearm charges is 10 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  The maximum penalty for each of the armed robbery charges is 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  The maximum penalty for each charge of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence is life in prison; each of those charges carries a mandatory consecutive 25-year sentence.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs.  For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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