PHILADELPHIA, PA — United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that a Philadelphia man was convicted Friday in federal court of orchestrating two violent commercial robberies, including a deadly gas station holdup that left an attendant fatally shot on the floor of his workplace.
A federal jury found 40-year-old Chihean Jones, also known as “Cha,” guilty on all charges, including two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, murder committed during the use of a firearm, and using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Jones was charged in a second superseding indictment in January 2024.
Prosecutors detailed a months-long pattern of targeted robberies, beginning on August 22, 2022, when Jones drove two men to a cell phone store on the 100 block of East Olney Avenue. According to trial evidence, while Jones waited in a Chevrolet Suburban, his co-conspirators forced their way into a back room and stole multiple cell phones before fleeing with him in the same vehicle.
The violence escalated on January 17, 2023, when Jones returned to criminal activity—this time accompanied by his girlfriend and two additional men. The group traveled to a gas station on the 7100 block of Torresdale Avenue with the intent to rob it. Trial testimony showed they planned to ambush the station attendant during a cigarette break, restrain him with zip ties, and force him to open the safe.
When the attendant did not step outside, Jones’ girlfriend entered the store to assess the situation. After reporting back, Jones and the two men pushed into the building. Moments after entering, Jones reached under a protective glass divider and fired a .45-caliber pistol into the attendant’s back as the worker tried to escape. The men then ransacked the business and stole the victim’s wallet while he lay dying on the floor.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Parisi and Amanda McCool.
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