East Aurora Man Pleads Guilty For His Role In A Pharmacy Robbery

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
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BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Ryan Peltan, 32, of East Aurora, NY, pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that, on October 24, 2015, the defendant entered Larwood Pharmacy Inc., located at 597 Oakwood Avenue in East Aurora. Armed with a handgun, the defendant directed the pharmacy owner at gun point to give him controlled substances. Peltan also ordered customers to lie on the ground. The defendant then forcibly took numerous bottles of prescription pills and controlled substances and fled the pharmacy. Peltan was subsequently arrested a couple days later in Akron, Ohio, in possession of many of the prescription pills and controlled substances that were taken from Larwood Pharmacy during the robbery.   

The plea is the result of an investigation by: the Drug Enforcement Agency and the East Aurora Police Department. 

Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2018, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Vilardo.