A Chicago man has been sentenced to eleven years in federal prison for a series of armed robberies targeting taxi and rideshare drivers. Anthony Reed, 28, committed three robberies within four days in February 2022. In each incident, Reed threatened the drivers with a gun and demanded their money and belongings. During one robbery, he struck a driver in the head with his firearm.
The first robbery occurred on February 4, 2022, when 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.
Reed has remained in law enforcement custody since his arrest later that month. 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 eleven-year sentence on Wednesday.
The sentencing was announced 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.”
