Prairie State Wire

A Chicago man has been sentenced to eleven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a series of armed robberies targeting taxi and rideshare drivers. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, Anthony Reed, 28, carried out three robberies over a four-day span in February 2022.

Prosecutors stated that on February 4, 2022, Reed stole a tablet and cell phone from a Flash Cab taxi driver. The following day, he robbed another Flash Cab driver of $120 in cash along with a tablet and cell phone. On February 8, Reed targeted an Uber driver, stealing a wallet containing between $200 and $400 in cash, as well as a cell phone and jacket. In each incident, Reed threatened to kill the victims if they did not comply and struck one driver with the butt of his gun.

Reed has remained in law enforcement custody since his arrest in 2022. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to three counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. handed down the sentence on Wednesday.

The announcement was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

“Over the course of only four days, defendant robbed three victims at gunpoint while the victims were doing their job,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret A. Steindorf and Paul Schied argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “A significant sentence is warranted to protect the public from defendant’s criminal appetite and deter defendant from committing future violent acts.”