Haleem Celestial White Gets 12.5 Years for Pharmacy Heists

Haleem Celestial White, 25, of Washington D.C., is headed to federal prison for 150 months after being sentenced for a string of armed pharmacy robberies across Maryland. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel handed down the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release, in a Greenbelt courtroom today. The robberies, carried out with a crew wearing ski masks and packing a handgun, targeted small retail pharmacies for cash and prescription drugs.

The crime spree spanned from March 7, 2015, to June 6, 2016, and involved co-conspirators Daunte Jones, Ernest Ingram, and others. During the heists, one robber consistently brandished a firearm while masked accomplices ransacked the counters. On April 11, 2015, White, Jones, and Ingram hit a pharmacy on Annapolis Road in Hyattsville. Less than a month later, on May 2, they struck again—this time at a pharmacy on Rhode Island Avenue in Beltsville.

One of the most violent incidents occurred on March 7, 2015, at a Hamilton Street pharmacy in Hyattsville. As customers—both elderly—stood inside, a co-conspirator sprayed them in the face with pepper spray and threw them to the ground. The crew fled in a waiting vehicle with cash and narcotics. On June 6, 2016, the crew hit a pharmacy on Greenbelt Road in Berwyn Heights. In addition to oxycodone and cash, they stole an employee’s handbag containing a cell phone, credit cards, ID, and money.

Over the course of the conspiracy, White, Jones, and Ingram stole more than $20,000 worth of prescription medication. The defendants admitted they were not just stealing for personal use—they were selling the drugs on the street. Oxycodone, a highly addictive opioid, was a primary target in each robbery, feeding the region’s underground drug trade.

White isn’t the only one behind bars. Judge Hazel previously sentenced Daunte Antonio Jones, 27, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, to 150 months in prison. Ernest Ingram, Jr., 32, of Washington D.C., received 87 months for his role in the armed robberies. All three pleaded guilty, their fates sealed by surveillance footage, witness accounts, and their own admissions.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the joint work of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and the Prince George’s County Police Department in dismantling the crew. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael T. Packard and William D. Moomau prosecuted the case, ensuring each defendant faced hard time for terrorizing local businesses and endangering the public. The message is clear: armed pharmacy thefts will be met with maximum federal consequences.