Lothian Man Exiled to Over 24 Years in Prison for Attempted Armed Robbery

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Thomas Anthony Hubbard, age 52, of Lothian, Maryland, today to 295 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for attempted robbery and using a gun during the attempted robbery. Judge Titus enhanced Hubbard's sentence upon finding that he is a career offender based on nine previous convictions for armed robbery dating back to 1980.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge Marino F. Vidoli of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks.

According to his plea agreement, on February 25, 2010, Hubbard entered a Jerry’s Subs and Pizza shop on 5720 Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, while carrying a semi-automatic handgun and a steel pipe wired to a cell phone to mimic the appearance of a pipe bomb. Hubbard threatened to detonate the "bomb" unless the store manager and store owner turned over money. As the owner prepared to open the store's safe, he noticed that Hubbard had looked away. The owner jumped on Hubbard and began hitting him, causing Hubbard to drop the gun. The manager and owner struggled with Hubbard and delayed his escape while police were en route so that Prince George's County Police were able to arrest him just outside the store.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Prince George's County Police Department and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Adam K. Ake, who prosecuted the case.