Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Cuyahoga County resident has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for robbing a confidential informant who was cooperating with a federal firearms investigation. Carl P. Lewis, 28, of Cleveland, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker after pleading guilty in May to multiple charges: robbery of mail, money or other property of the United States; using or carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and felon in possession of a firearm due to previous convictions for robbery in 2016.
Lewis will also serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
Court documents state that in October 2024, an informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was communicating with Lewis about purchasing several firearms. The two arranged to meet at a specific location for the transaction. Upon arrival, Lewis demanded $2,500 cash from the informant before showing the firearms. After retrieving the weapons from inside a residence, Lewis became agitated and threatened violence against the informant.
During a struggle between Lewis and the informant over control of the firearms, another individual emerged from inside the home and pointed a pistol equipped with a laser at the informant. Lewis then forcibly took $2,500 from the victim. The incident was captured on video.
Lewis was later arrested on federal charges and found with a rifle and two pistols.
"This case was investigated by the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly L. Galvin."
