A Charles County man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for a series of armed robberies across three Maryland counties. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow handed down the sentence to Daniel Michael Harris, Sr., 44, of Waldorf, Maryland, after he was found guilty of committing four armed robberies while using and brandishing a firearm.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Baltimore Field Office, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD), Charles County Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).
Court documents show that Harris and his co-conspirators targeted two businesses in Prince George’s County, one in Charles County, and one in Montgomery County during March and April 2023. On March 23 and March 28, Harris robbed two convenience stores in Prince George’s County at gunpoint with a pistol-grip shotgun, taking cash and cigarettes.
On April 5, Harris participated in another robbery at a convenience store in Charles County where he stole cash as well as an employee's wallet and phone. During this incident, Harris held an employee at gunpoint and pinned a customer against the wall.
The following day on April 6, Harris used the same shotgun to rob a convenience store in Montgomery County. He took cash from the register along with an employee's purse and phone.
On April 12, police identified the getaway vehicle used in two of these robberies. When officers attempted a traffic stop, those inside fled but left behind items that were later tested for DNA evidence. The results matched Harris to DNA found on a bottle recovered from the vehicle.
Further investigation led detectives from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office to execute a search warrant on November 9 for Harris's storage unit. There they found clothing worn during the robberies as well as the pistol-grip shotgun used.
"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," said officials involved with PSN efforts. "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."
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended law enforcement agencies involved in investigating this case as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who prosecuted it.
More information about initiatives by Maryland’s U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at justice.gov/usao-md or justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
