Columbia Man Sentenced to 24 Years in Federal Prison for A Series of Armed Robberies

COLUMBIA, S.C. —Iric Bolden, 31, of Columbia, was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, robbery, and attempted robbery.

Evidence presented to the court showed that over the course of nine days in the fall of 2019, Bolden robbed three Midlands convenience stores while armed with a handgun and attempted to rob another.

On Sept. 29, 2019, Bolden entered the 76 gas station located at 2538 Two Notch Rd. He pretended to ask the clerk a question and then walked behind the counter and pointed a gun at the clerk. Bolden demanded the clerk to open the cash register before taking money out of the register, cigarettes from the shelf, and the clerk’s cell phone, which was sitting on the counter. During the robbery, a customer tried to leave but Bolden detained the customer at gun point as well. After taking the items, Bolden ran from the store.

On Sept. 30, 2019, Bolden entered the Marathon Corner Stop located at 1901 Faraway Dr. Bolden entered the store with his gun drawn and a mask over his face. However, Bolden was frightened by one of the clerks, his mask dropped from his face, and he ran from store.

On Oct. 3, 2019, Bolden entered the Mini Mart Located at 900 S. Kilbourne Rd. He walked around as if he was browsing for items and then ran behind the counter and pointed a firearm at the clerk. He forced the clerk to lay on the ground and took the clerk’s cell phone, money from two cash registers, and cigarettes before leaving the store.

On Oct. 6, 2019, Bolden entered Percival Grocery located at 301 Percival Rd. He entered the store and immediately began pulling a firearm from his waistband. He went behind the counter and demanded the clerk to open the cash register. Bolden took money out of the register, cigarettes from the shelf, a cell phone and money from the clerk and ran away from the location.

Law enforcement recovered surveillance footage for all of the incidents which clearly depict Bolden’s actions. Bolden was arrested by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and confessed to the robberies. Prior to these incidents Bolden had multiple convictions for shoplifting and was on probation for strong arm robbery.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Iric Bolden to 288 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the City of Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.

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