PHILADELPHIA, PA — A 31-year-old Allentown man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for carrying out a violent, two-day robbery spree targeting three 7-Eleven convenience stores in Lehigh County, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
United States District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl sentenced Rubiel Perez to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release after Perez pleaded guilty in March to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Prosecutors said the robberies occurred over the course of March 28 and 29, 2023. In the first incident, Perez entered a 7-Eleven on Union Boulevard in Allentown, pointed a handgun at an employee, and stole $937 before fleeing. The following night, he struck another 7-Eleven on South 4th Street in Allentown, threatening a clerk at gunpoint and stealing $150. Hours later, Perez attempted to rob a third 7-Eleven on West Tilghman Street in South Whitehall Township, again brandishing a firearm and threatening an employee.
“Three times in two days, Rubiel Perez pointed his gun at store clerks and made them fear for their lives,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said. “Prosecuting violent offenders is a priority for my office. We will not permit criminals to prey on the people in our communities.”
Shannon Hamm, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division, emphasized the collaborative effort behind Perez’s capture and prosecution. “Stopping violent criminals who terrorize our communities like Perez is a primary ATF mission,” Hamm said. “Thanks to our agents’, detectives’, and prosecutors’ combined efforts, he is now going to federal prison where he will no longer endanger this town.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Allentown Police Department, and the South Whitehall Township Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert W. Schopf.
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