Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery Spree of Twin Cities Businesses

 MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to seven violent armed robberies of Twin Cities businesses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on July 28, 2020, Derrick Lee Spillman, 40, robbed three Twin Cities businesses, including a Holiday gas station and two liquor stores. During the robberies, Spillman pointed handguns at employees and ordered them to the ground or physically assaulted them. On July 30, 2020, Spillman continued his crime spree by robbing two additional Holiday gas stations, a Speedway gas station, and a Subway restaurant. During these incidents, Spillman pointed a handgun at employees, racked the slide of the gun, and demanded cash from the registers.

Spillman pleaded guilty to seven counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

“Working in tandem with our federal and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue, arrest, and prosecute violent, armed criminals such as Mr. Spillman,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Fridley Police Department, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the New Hope Police Department, and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin A. Wesley is prosecuting the case.