St. Louis Man Admits Armed Robbery of Store

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis on Tuesday admitted robbing a store with a shotgun in 2023.

Divontay Scott, 34, pleaded guilty to three felony counts: robbery, possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Scott admitted entering the Family Dollar store on South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis on Oct. 17, 2023, armed with a shotgun. Scott ordered an employee to open the cash register and stole about $114. Although Scott’s face was partially covered, witnesses recognized him as a regular customer. He was also caught on video during a visit to the store earlier that day. A witness spotted him that evening at a nearby business and called police. Scott had texted his paramour his plans to rob the store, as well as a picture of the money that he took, his plea agreement says.

Scott is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Scott’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a sentence of 11 years in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.