(WBBM Newsradio) -- A Chicago man has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for taking part in a spree of armed robberies at cell phone stores, federal prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say 26-year-old Antonio Edwards was part of a “violent robbery crew” that targeted cell phone stores in Chicago, Waukegan and other communities.
The robberies were in 2017, and the government describes them as takeover style offenses. Two or three robbers would go into a store and then order all the employees into the back at gunpoint, while the offenders stuffed bags full of cell phones.
Federal prosecutors say two other members of the robbery crew have also been sentenced to prison time.
Edwards, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and robbery charges, and a jury convicted him after a trial on charges of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, prosecutors said. A judge sentenced him on Friday.