Prince George Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery

RICHMOND, Va. – Carter Tillery, 30, of Prince George, Va., was sentenced today to 30 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for using a sawed-off shotgun to rob the Swan Cleaners in Petersburg, Va. At sentencing, Tillery was determined by the court to be a career criminal because of previous violent convictions.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Edgar A. Domenech, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; and John I. Dixon III, Petersburg Police Bureau’s Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge James R. Spencer.

On Dec. 15, 2011, Tillery was convicted of robbery and using, carrying and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. According to the evidence presented at trial, on Aug. 1, 2009, Tillery pointed a sawed-off shotgun at a lone female clerk working at the Swan Cleaners in Petersburg, Virginia. Tillery forced the clerk to a back room, where he ordered her at gunpoint to remove her clothing.  Tillery subsequently tied up the clerk’s hands with a phone cord and forced her to kneel on the ground.  He then stole $100 from the cash register, as well as the victim’s laptop computer and keys. 

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Petersburg Police Department.  United States Attorney Neil H. MacBride and Assistant United States Attorney Jessica A. Brumberg prosecuted the case for the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.