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Press Release

Philadelphia Man Sentenced For Robbing A Pawn Shop Owner At Gunpoint

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Marquee Hicks, 22, of Philadelphia, PA, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and robbery affecting interstate commerce, was sentenced to serve 140 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who handled the case, stated that on November 5, 2016, Hicks went to the Royal Crown Pawn Shop on Dewey Avenue in Rochester. The defendant entered the store and asked to see some jewelry in a display case.  When the owner opened the case, Hicks pointed a handgun at the owner, and robbed the store along with other individuals. During the robbery, the store owner’s mouth and legs were covered and bound with duct tape. After removing property from the store, the defendant and other assailants left. 

On March 9, 2017, Hicks was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for a traffic stop by Elmira Police Officers. While an officer was speaking to the driver at the rear of the vehicle, another officer continued to watch Hicks, who was still in the car. That officer witnessed the defendant remove two baggies of cocaine from his pockets and put them on the car floor. The officers then opened the passenger door to arrest Hicks, and a brief struggle ensued. During the struggle, officers removed a loaded .40 caliber handgun from Hicks’ waistband. 

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito; the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick Phelan; and the Elmira Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Kane.

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Updated June 11, 2019

Topics
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses