Willie Singletary, a 33-year-old from Philadelphia, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for his involvement in a violent armed robbery and the planning of an attempted armed home invasion. The sentence, handed down by United States District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe, will run consecutively to another sentence he is serving in Pennsylvania.
Singletary pleaded guilty last October to charges including conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Court documents reveal that on November 20, 2019, Singletary and co-conspirators Shaquan Brown and another individual targeted a laundromat in Philadelphia. Armed with firearms, they forced an employee into the basement at gunpoint. One robber assaulted the victim while restraining him.
The robbers then moved upstairs to the owner's residence where Singletary attacked the owner and Brown assaulted another person. They stole approximately $30,000 intended for business renovations before fleeing.
Singletary later directed Brown to target another individual believed to have substantial cash by installing a GPS tracker on their vehicle. On January 3, 2020, Brown attempted a home invasion but was arrested after triggering an alarm system.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf stated: "What Singletary and his buddies put their victims through was terrifying... we simply will not permit criminals to terrorize innocent people for profit."
Eric DeGree from ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division remarked: "Willie Singletary led a vicious robbery... Having directed a further attempted robbery, Singletary is now going to federal prison where he will no longer endanger his neighborhood."
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aiming to reduce violent crime through community trust and strategic enforcement priorities.
Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony J. Carissimi and J. Jeanette Kang are prosecuting the case following an investigation by the ATF.
