NORFOLK, Va. — At 3:00 a.m. in the dead of night, Desmond Littlejohn, 33, of Norfolk, and an accomplice lay in wait, armed and masked, for the owners of Mac’s Reloads to return from a gun show in Philadelphia. When they arrived, Littlejohn and his co-conspirator ambushed them, brandishing firearms and demanding a black bag they knew contained about $10,000 in cash. They forced the victims to the ground at gunpoint, threatened them with death, and made off with the money — tossing the rest of the bag’s contents onto the pavement as they fled.
Today, Littlejohn was sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison for the armed robbery of the licensed federal firearms and ammunition dealer. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith handed down the sentence after Littlejohn pleaded guilty to charges tied to the violent heist. The crime, investigators say, was made possible by inside information from a former employee of Mac’s Reloads — a friend of Littlejohn who helped plan the robbery.
“Criminals who rob innocent victims at gunpoint and threaten them with death will be brought to justice,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I want to thank our partners at the ATF for their outstanding work and assistance as we continue to target violent criminals who target innocent victims.”
Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict of the ATF’s Washington Field Division didn’t mince words: “Individuals such as these who are brazen enough to commit armed robberies are clear and present dangers to our community. The sentence in this case sends an unequivocal message that this conduct will not be tolerated.” Benedict emphasized the ATF’s commitment to using every resource available to dismantle violent criminal activity.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce violent crime. PSN relies on data-driven strategies and collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement to target the most violent offenders. The program also supports community-based prevention and reentry efforts to create long-term public safety improvements.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr and William B. Jackson handled the prosecution. Court documents, including Case No. 2:18-cr-119, are available through the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and PACER. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the official announcement following sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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