PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Philadelphia man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years and one day in federal prison for an October 2024 convenience store robbery in which he threatened a clerk with a firearm and fired two shots inside the business.
Larry Dempsey, 53, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge John F. Murphy after pleading guilty in June 2026 to Hobbs Act robbery and using, carrying and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Murphy also ordered Dempsey to pay $7,600 in restitution and serve a period of supervised release following his imprisonment, according to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
The robbery occurred Oct. 6, 2024, at a convenience store on the 2600 block of North 27th Street in Philadelphia.
According to federal court filings and facts Dempsey admitted during his guilty plea, he entered the store carrying a firearm and chased the clerk outside at gunpoint.
Dempsey then removed money from the cash register and discharged the weapon twice, damaging the store.
A federal grand jury indicted Dempsey in June 2025. He pleaded guilty to both charges a year later.
The Hobbs Act prohibits robberies and other conduct that obstruct, delay or affect interstate commerce.
The Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine S. Dos Santos and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Meagan Gordon prosecuted the case.
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