A Cuyahoga County man, Lawrence Sturdivant, was sentenced on May 5 to more than 29 years in prison after pleading guilty to a series of armed robberies committed while he was out on parole. U.S. District Court Judge J. Philip Calabrese imposed the sentence of 352 months, followed by three years of supervised release.
The sentencing comes after Sturdivant, age 36 and from Garfield Heights, admitted to using and brandishing a firearm during crimes of violence, interfering with commerce by robbery and attempted robbery, and being a felon in possession of ammunition. His prior convictions include burglary and attempted burglary in 2010 as well as aggravated robbery in 2014.
According to court documents presented during the proceedings, Sturdivant robbed ten stores across the Cleveland area over three weeks in December 2021. During each incident, he entered a store pretending to shop before threatening employees at gunpoint when they opened the cash register. Fourteen individuals were directly affected by these robberies.
“Mr. Sturdivant’s violent actions inflicted a level of trauma on the employees and customers of these stores that was devastating and life altering,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We are thankful to the ATF and our local police departments for piecing together the evidence in these robberies and bringing this individual to justice. Our community is safer now that this serial criminal will spend decades behind bars.”
Sturdivant targeted several businesses including multiple Walgreens Pharmacies and Family Dollar locations throughout Cleveland between December 5 and December 26, as well as one CVS Pharmacy location.
Investigators found that after his final robbery he attempted to conceal evidence by cleaning his car, parking it away from his residence, and reporting it stolen; agents later recovered ammunition at his home. In total nearly $3,000 was stolen during these incidents.
“There is no place in our society for criminals like Lawrence Sturdivant,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Smerglia. “The crimes he committed were despicable and cut to the very core of our moral fabric. Prison is exactly what he deserves.”
This case involved collaboration among federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), local police departments including those from Cleveland Division-Real Time Crime Center and Shaker Heights Police Department as well as state authorities like Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio operates within federal law enforcement across forty northern counties with offices located in Cleveland, Toledo, Akron and Youngstown; its responsibilities include enforcing federal criminal laws related to national security public corruption civil rights defending civil suits protecting public funds through community engagement promoting safety through outreach programs collaborating with schools law enforcement agencies according to the official website.
