Philadelphia Man Charged in Robberies

United States Attorney Laurie Magid announced the filing of an indictment against BRIAN PRUITT, charging him with eight counts of robbery and eight counts of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The indictment alleges that between November 23, 2008 and January 5, 2009, PRUITT robbed eight different commercial establishments in Philadelphia, and that during the course of each of those robberies, he brandished a loaded firearm. PRUITT faces a maximum of life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum of 182 years’ imprisonment, 5 years supervised release, a $4,000,000 fine, and a $1,600 special assessment.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANT

NAME	ADDRESS	YEAR OF BIRTH
Brian Pruitt	Philadelphia, PA	1973

This indictment is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative by the United States Attorney’s Office, all District Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, to identify and prosecute firearms offenders in federal court, where the defendants are likely to receive a substantial sentence upon conviction. As an extension of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the United States Attorney’s Office, FBI, ATF, Philadelphia Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies have established the Hobbs Act Robbery Task Force to investigate and prosecute organized gangs and groups committing commercial armed robberies in this district.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren M. Ouziel.

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