PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Abdulrahman Abdelaziz Jamea, 26, a former resident of Columbus, Ohio, has been found guilty of multiple crimes related to a series of armed pharmacy robberies across Western Pennsylvania.
A federal jury delivered its verdict on March 21, 2024, after deliberating for approximately two and a half hours. The guilty verdicts include one count each of conspiracy to commit armed pharmacy robbery and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, three counts of armed pharmacy robbery, and two counts of pharmacy robbery.
The evidence presented during the four-day trial highlighted Jamea’s involvement in a conspiracy to rob pharmacies of Schedule II controlled substances between September 2018 and July 2019. The pharmacies targeted included those in Beaver, Bridgeville, Edinboro, Erie, and the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In three of the robberies, Jamea and his co-conspirators brandished firearms to threaten the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and intimidate them into opening the locked safes where the controlled substances were kept.
According to the evidence, Jamea then distributed the stolen narcotics in the Columbus, Ohio, area. Judge Arthur J. Schwab is set to schedule sentencing for July 31, 2024. The maximum penalty for the most serious offense of conviction is 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
The actual sentence will be determined based on the seriousness of the offenses and Jamea’s prior criminal history. It is worth noting that Jamea is currently serving a prison sentence of more than 40 years following his earlier conviction in Ohio state court for multiple counts of felonious assault with a firearm. He remains in custody pending his sentencing in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Assistant United States Attorneys Barbara K. Doolittle and Michael R. Ball prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States. The investigation leading to the conviction involved the cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Erie Police Department, Edinboro Police Department, Beaver Police Department, Bridgeville Police Department, and Ohio Highway Patrol.
Related Federal Cases
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- Christopher Furman, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Pennsylvania 2009 · California
- Emily Wilson, Investment Adviser Fraud, Pennsylvania, 2023 · Georgia
- Alexander Ortega, Bank Fraud, Pennsylvania 2024 · New Hampshire
- Ancelmo Ayala, Cocaine Trafficking, Pennsylvania · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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