Donquell Franklin, Armed Robbery, Wisconsin 2021

A shocking case of brazen violence has shaken the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Donquell Franklin, a 30-year-old resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for armed robbery of an undercover ATF Task Force Officer.

According to the plea agreement, on April 4, 2017, Franklin entered the vehicle of the undercover ATF task force officer and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the officer. When the officer pushed the gun away, Franklin ejected the magazine, re-inserted it, racked the slide, and pointed it at the officer again.

Franklin robbed the officer of ATF buy money, an ATF issued iPhone, and the keys to the vehicle. Law enforcement officers quickly arrived at the scene, pursued Franklin by foot, and found him hiding in a garage in an alley on West McKinley Avenue in Milwaukee. Officers recovered from Franklin’s flight path the firearm, the iPhone, and the keys to the undercover officer’s vehicle.

The Milwaukee Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Milwaukee Police Department, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Wesson.

On March 2, 2021, Franklin entered a guilty plea to robbery of personal property of the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2112, and using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of the robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c).

Franklin’s sentence will run consecutive to his state revocation sentence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced the sentencing, and the public is still reeling from the shocking display of violence. As the community comes to terms with this heinous crime, one thing is clear: Donquell Franklin will face the consequences of his actions for the next 7 years.

For further information, contact Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales at Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov or (414) 297-1700. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates on this and other cases.

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