Philadelphia Man Charged With Robbing Nine West Philadelphia-Area Convenience Stores in One Week

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Tyeed Henson, 22, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by Indictment with nine counts of Hobbs Act robbery stemming from a rash of late-2020 armed robberies of Philadelphia-area convenience stores over the course of one week.

According to the Indictment, from October 30 through November 5, 2020, the defendant is alleged to have robbed seven convenience stores in West and Southwest Philadelphia of money and store merchandise at gunpoint. Following an investigation by the Philadelphia Police Department, investigators learned of two additional alleged robberies in Yeadon and Bala Cynwyd with fact patterns that were consistent with the Philadelphia robberies.

“The complete disregard that this defendant is charged to have demonstrated for the safety and well-being of others is appalling,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As alleged, in just seven days, Henson terrorized the employees of nine area businesses who were simply doing their jobs. Through our multi-pronged approach - including strategic use of recently announced grant funding for the PSN program - we will continue our coordination with the Philadelphia Police Department and federal agencies to make the community safer by removing criminals like this from our streets.”

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.

If convicted of all charges, Henson faces a total possible maximum sentence of 180 years in prison and three years of supervised release, a $2.25 million fine, and a $100 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department, Yeadon Police Department, Lower Merion Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Martin Howley.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.