PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Lancaster man was sentenced Tuesday to nearly nine years in federal prison for the armed robbery of a Chester County convenience store last year, federal prosecutors said.
Micael Dilone Rojas Diaz, 25, received a 106-month prison term, three years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and restitution of $518.61. U.S. District Judge John M. Gallagher handed down the sentence in Philadelphia.
Rojas pleaded guilty in June to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He was indicted in May 2024 following the February 10, 2024, robbery of a Turkey Hill convenience store on Horseshoe Pike in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania.
According to court records, Rojas and co-defendant Ashley Santos-Rodriguez entered the store wearing masks in the early morning hours. Rojas pointed a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol at a 59-year-old clerk while Santos stole cigarettes. The pair fled with about $124 in cash and roughly 40 packs of Newport cigarettes.
Police stopped their vehicle about 20 minutes later and recovered the money and stolen goods.
“Pointing a gun in the face of a store clerk to steal a handful of cash and cigarettes is both reckless and dangerous,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said in announcing the sentence. “This office will continue to pursue lengthy prison terms for armed criminals who terrorize hardworking members of our community.”
The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski.
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