A Detroit man was sentenced to just over 54 years in federal prison after having pleaded guilty earlier this year to armed robbery and firearms offenses, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James Deir, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Carlos Harper, 38, of Detroit was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Robert H. Cleland.
According to court records, Carlos Harper, along with co-defendants William Joseph Fields and Roxanne Harper, conspired with one another to rob four businesses in Southwest Detroit, including Favi’s Nail Salon and the West Fort Street bar.
(Courtesy of WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7 and YouTube. Posted on Jan 13, 2015)
Carlos Harper and Fields entered the businesses wearing scarves over their faces and used aliases in order to conceal their identities.
Armed with pistols, they brandished those weapons to threaten, injure and instill fear in their victims.
During the robberies, Carlos Harper shot two women in the West Fort Street Bar (causing severe injuries), fired a shot into Favi’s Nail Salon when it was full of women and children, and caused a family-run dollar store business to close down for good.
The robberies took place between December 2014 and January 2015.
(Learn More about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Courtesy of ATFHQ and YouTube)
Harper and Fields were apprehended as a result of investigative efforts by ATF agents in collaboration with the Detroit Police Department.
“The 55-year sentence in this case sends a very clear message: put down your guns and your violence, or spend your life in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Schneider.
“The lives of good, innocent people have been forever changed because of these cold-hearted, senseless acts of violence,” said Special Agent in Charge James Deir.
“ATF will not waiver in our commitment to remove dangerous criminals from our community so citizens can live in peaceful and thriving neighborhoods.”
Co-defendants Williams Fields and Roxanne Harper each pleaded guilty to their role in the robberies and await sentencing in June.
