Federal Jury Convicts Michigan Man On All Charges For Armed Robbery At AT&T Store

PITTSBURGH – Brandon Kennedy, a resident of Inkster, Michigan, was convicted at the conclusion of a federal jury trial of committing an interstate armed robbery, of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The jury convicted Kennedy after a three-day trial that concluded on December 18, 2014, and that was presided over by United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. The jury was presented with evidence that Kennedy, on November 26, 2012, traveled from the Detroit, Michigan, area to the AT&T retail store located at 970 Greentree Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and robbed the store at gunpoint. Kennedy brandished a loaded .45 caliber Ruger pistol at the store employees during the robbery and after he had already been convicted of a felony crime in a prior case. The robbery resulted in the forcible theft of 12 iPads and 14 iPhones as well as other electronic devices and cash.

Kennedy was previously prosecuted in state court in Michigan for committing an armed robbery at an AT&T retail store in Oakland County, Michigan, in September 2011. Kennedy was acquitted at the conclusion of a state jury trial in March 2012. Kennedy committed the armed robbery at the Pittsburgh AT&T store following the acquittal.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of at least seven years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Green Tree Police Department, the South Rockwood (Michigan) Police Department, and the Inkster (Michigan) Police Department investigated this case. This case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent, deter, and prosecute gun crime.