Baltimore Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Armed Commercial Robberies

A Baltimore man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in a series of armed commercial robberies in the Baltimore area, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Monzell Lee, 20, of Baltimore, was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for interference with commerce by robbery and possession of a gun in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein; and Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts. Lee was ordered to pay restitution to the victims totaling $1,937.

According to Lee’s plea agreement, between May 28 and June 11, 2012, Lee participated in four robberies of convenience stores and fast food restaurants in the Baltimore area. In each robbery Lee entered the store with a co-conspirator, who was armed. The co-conspirator brandished the gun at the store employees and Lee and the co-conspirator took cash from the register. A third conspirator, Rico Bias, then drove Lee and the other conspirator away from the scene of each robbery.

Specifically, Lee robbed: the Burger King in the 8300 block of Harford Road in Baltimore on May 28, 2012; the Royal Farms Store in the 1900 block of Belair Road and the Royal Farms Store in the 900 block of West 36th Street, both in Baltimore, on May 29, 2012; and the Wendy’s Restaurant in the 3600 block of Washington Boulevard in Elkridge on June 11, 2012.

Bias, age 34, also of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit a commercial robbery and the gun charge and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 21, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore Police Department and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney A. David Copperthite, who prosecuted the case.

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