A Lancaster man has been sentenced to 106 months in prison for robbing a Chester County convenience store at gunpoint earlier this year. Micael Dilone Rojas Diaz, 25, received the sentence from United States District Judge John M. Gallagher. In addition to his prison term, Rojas was ordered to serve three years of supervised release, pay a $1,000 fine, and make restitution totaling $518.61.
Rojas was indicted in May 2024 on charges of Hobbs Act robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence. He pleaded guilty to both counts in June.
According to court documents and admissions by Rojas, he and co-defendant Ashley Santos-Rodriguez entered the Turkey Hill convenience store on Horseshoe Pike in Honey Brook during the early morning hours of February 10, 2024. Both wore masks as they entered the store where only a single clerk was present.
Rojas pointed a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol at the clerk’s face while Santos-Rodriguez took cigarettes from behind the counter. The pair stole about $124 and approximately 40 packs of Newport cigarettes before fleeing by car. Police stopped their vehicle roughly 20 minutes later and recovered both the cash and cigarettes.
The Pennsylvania State Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski prosecuted it.
United States Attorney David Metcalf stated: “This defendant terrorized an innocent worker with a loaded gun while stealing money and merchandise from a local business.” Metcalf added: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate violent crimes like this one that threaten public safety.”
