Department of Justice

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Anthony Johnson, age 51, of York, Pennsylvania, was convicted on May 16, 2019, for Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence after a two-day jury trial before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo.

 

According to U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, Johnson and his co-conspirator robbed and shot the victim in the head on Girard Avenue, York, on January 9, 2016. During the investigation, law enforcement officers recovered the gun used to shoot the victim, a stolen Smith and Wesson 9mm caliber semiautomatic pistol, from Johnson’s co-conspirator during her arrest on January 13, 2016.

 

Testimony established that the victim remained in a comatose state for at least four months following the shooting. The victim required three brain surgeries and other life-saving medical interventions to repair the damage caused by Johnson and his co-conspirator.

 

Based on Johnson’s conviction for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, he will be subject to an enhanced penalty requiring a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment, which must be served consecutively to any sentence Judge Rambo imposes on the Hobbs Act robbery conviction. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the York City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys William A. Behe and Meredith A. Taylor prosecuted the case.

 

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

 

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

 

The maximum penalty under federal law is lifetime imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.