Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Violent Robbery Spree and Firearms Violations

PITTSBURGH, PA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Western), published as received.

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 25 years of imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release for robbery, attempted robbery, and firearms violations, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Eric Jones, age 34.

According to information presented to the court, Jones committed four armed robberies of several Pittsburgh-area businesses in a nine-day period in March 2022. On March 6, 2022, Jones robbed the Fox’s Pizza on Allegheny River Boulevard in Oakmont, PA. During that robbery, he shot the owner of this business several times. The victim from this robbery suffered serious injuries. On March 10, 2022, Jones robbed the Sunoco gas station and convenience store on Hulton Road in Verona, PA, again using a firearm during the robbery.

On March 15, 2022, Jones attempted to rob the Family Dollar on Frankstown Avenue in Pittsburgh, PA. During this robbery, Jones fired a round from his pistol toward the rear of the store. On March 15, 2022, around 30 minutes after the attempted robbery of the Family Dollar, Jones attempted to rob the Edgewood Avenue Express on Edgewood Avenue in Edgewood, PA. During this attempted robbery, Jones shot the store owner once and attempted to shoot him again, but his gun jammed. The bullet grazed the store owner, but it did not cause serious injury.

Jones is a convicted felon and was not permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Wiegand emphasized the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct, and the impact it had on the victims and their families.
Assistant United States Attorney Doug Maloney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); the Allegheny County Police Department; the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; the Penn Hills Police Department; the Oakmont Police Department; the Edgewood Police Department, and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office for their extensive and collaborative investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jones.