Armed and desperate, they stormed into the Econo Lodge on Kane Street, guns drawn and terror in their eyes. On February 13, 2016, the motel became a crime scene when Rodney Whiting, 23, of Scranton, and Tracy Whiting, 24, of Newport News, Virginia, led a violent heist that ended with federal charges and shattered lives. On October 18, 2016, both men stood before U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion in Scranton and admitted their guilt to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The robbery was swift and brazen. Surveillance footage later showed the men storming the front desk, threatening staff, and fleeing with cash. Rodney Whiting, a local with known ties to street crime, teamed up with his cousin Tracy Whiting and two others—Kelvin Robinson, 24, of Newport News, and Kwa’shon Roane, 24, of Gloucester, Virginia—to execute the holdup. All four were indicted in March 2016, but only the Whitings and Robinson have faced judgment so far.
Kelvin Robinson already pleaded guilty on October 5, 2016, to the same charge and now awaits sentencing. Kwa’shon Roane remains at large, with charges still pending. The investigation, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), brought together a task force of local and state enforcers: Scranton Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Lackawanna County DA’s Office, and officers from Taylor and Moosic Boroughs.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. O’Hara as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (VCRP), a federal-state crackdown targeting violent offenders across Pennsylvania’s Middle District. The initiative has prioritized armed robberies, gun offenses, and repeat offenders, funneling resources to dismantle criminal networks before they escalate.
Now, Rodney Whiting and Tracy Whiting each face a mandatory minimum of seven years behind bars. Under federal law, the charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, massive fines, and mandatory supervised release. But the Federal Sentencing Guidelines demand more than time served—they require judges to weigh the crime’s severity, the defendant’s past, and the need for both punishment and public protection.
The message is clear: armed violence won’t vanish into the night. It leaves blood, records, and consequences. The Econo Lodge robbery may have lasted minutes, but the fallout will stretch for years. Sentencing for the Whitings is pending, and when Judge Mannion speaks, the gavel will echo through the cold halls of federal justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Virginia Man Pleads Guilty in Scranton Econo Lodge Heist · Pennsylvania
- Scranton Econo Lodge Robbery: Robinson Gets 7 Years · Pennsylvania
- Tracy Whiting Gets 7 Years for Econo Lodge Armed Robbery · Pennsylvania
- New York Man Sentenced to 41 Months for Bank Robbery Conspiracy · Pennsylvania
- West Virginia 2012: Crime Rates on the Rise · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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