Johnathon Griffin, 42, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of commercial robbery.
According to court documents, between January 25, 2021, and February 2nd, 2021, Johnathon Griffin robbed, or attempted to rob, the following seven Indianapolis businesses:
| DATE | VICTIM BUSINESS |
| January 25, 2021 | Family Dollar, 1836 E. 10th Street |
| January 26, 2021 | Circle-K, 6734 E. Washington Street |
| January 26, 2021 | Speedway, 2012 English Avenue |
| January 31, 2021 | Dollar General, 3725 N. Keystone Avenue |
| January 31, 2021 | Family Dollar, 5131 N. Keystone Avenue |
| February 1, 2021 | Circle-K, 2080 N. Shadeland Avenue |
| February 2, 2021 | Dollar General, 8323 E. Washington Street |
On February 2, 2021, investigators with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department conducted surveillance of Griffin after identifying him as a suspect in prior robberies. Investigators followed Griffin to the Dollar General located on East Washington Street, near Warren Park. Griffin entered the store, brandished what appeared to be a firearm when the register was opened, and demanded money from the employee. Griffin grabbed the entire register drawer and ran from the store and attempted to flee in a vehicle. IMPD officers pursued Griffin as he fled. Soon after the pursuit began, Griffin crashed into two other vehicles and was immediately arrested by IMPD officers. During a search of Griffin’s vehicle, officers located a revolver style BB-gun matching the description of the weapon used in the seven robberies.
“Over just eight days, this defendant repeatedly intimidated, threatened, and robbed hard working employees of seven different businesses,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Violent spree criminals like this defendant are a grave danger to the public. Reducing violence in our communities is a top federal law enforcement priority, and I commend the FBI and IMPD for their work to hold the defendant accountable for his crimes.”
“The defendant’s spree of violent robberies terrorized innocent victims who were simply doing their jobs,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “This sentence demonstrates the importance of collaboration between law enforcement partners to ensure violent offenders such as this are held accountable, and residents can feel safe in their homes and places of work.”
The FBI and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney. Judge Sweeney also ordered that Griffin be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison. Griffin must also pay restitution to each victim.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence D. Hilton, who prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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