PHILADELPHIA, PA – Khairyi Burgess, 23, of Philadelphia, will spend the next 12 years behind bars after being sentenced for his role in a violent 2018 home invasion that left a 17-year-old girl traumatized and her family robbed of their life savings. U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick handed down the sentence Thursday, along with five years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 restitution order.
The brazen robbery occurred in August 2018. Burgess, along with co-defendants Demetrius Ceasar and Shaquan Johnson, targeted the family’s South Philadelphia home, a stone’s throw from the family’s restaurant on Washington Avenue. While the teenage daughter slept, the trio stormed her bedroom, dragging her from bed and assaulting her before holding her at gunpoint. They made off with approximately $1 million in cash and jewelry – the culmination of years of hard work building their business.
Burgess pleaded guilty in March 2022 to charges of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act Robbery, and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Ceasar previously received a seven-year and three-month sentence, and Johnson was sentenced to eleven years. This sentencing of Burgess brings a degree of closure to a case that has haunted the family for years.
The crime didn’t end with the robbery itself. Burgess’s father, Edward Burgess, attempted to obstruct justice by deleting all data from his son’s cell phone in a desperate attempt to erase evidence of Khairyi’s involvement. Edward Burgess pleaded guilty in May 2022 and received a sentence of time served plus supervised release. U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero slammed the elder Burgess’s actions, stating it was an attempt to help his son evade justice.
“The younger Burgess and his accomplices not only victimized a family by violating the sanctity of their home and stealing their life savings, the elder Burgess attempted to cover up the crime and help his son evade justice,” Romero stated. “The sentencing results in this case should serve as a warning to others who might be considering engaging in similar behavior – either by committing violent crimes or protecting those who do.”
Eric DeGree, acting Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division, highlighted the collaborative effort that led to the convictions. “ATF, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have worked closely with the victims in this case to seek justice for this violent crime,” DeGree said. “No one deserves what this family went through, and our hope is that some solace can be found in the finality of this sentencing.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Carissimi and Sarah Damiani.
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