Three Virginia Men And One Scranton Man Charged With Armed Robbery Of Econo Lodge In Scranton

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that yesterday a grand jury indicted three Virginia residents and a Scranton man for the armed robbery of the Econo Lodge, located on Kane Street in Scranton, which occurred on February 13, 2016.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the indictment charges Tracy Whiting, age 24, of Newport News, Virginia; Kwa’shon Roane, age 24, of Gloucester, Virginia; Kelvin Robinson, age 24, of Newport News, Virginia, and Rodney Whiting, age 23, of Scranton; with one count of interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting, one count of conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Scranton Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, Taylor Borough and Moosic Borough Police Departments. 

Prosecution has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara

This case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP”), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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 for the robbery charges under federal law is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of brandishing a firearm carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, consecutive to any other 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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