CLEVELAND — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
CLEVELAND – A Cuyahoga County man who committed a string of armed robberies while he was out on parole for a separate offense has been sentenced back to prison. Fourteen individuals were terrorized with life-threatening violence by his robberies.
Lawrence Sturdivant, 36, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, was sentenced to 352 months (29.3 years) in prison after pleading guilty to:
- Use, Carry, and Brandish a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence
- Interference with Commerce by Robbery
- Attempted Interference with Commerce by Robbery
- Felon in Possession of Ammunition; prior convictions include Burglary and Attempted Burglary in 2010; and Aggravated Robbery in 2014.
He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. U.S. District Court Judge J. Philip Calabrese imposed the sentence May 5.
According to court documents and information presented in court, throughout a three-week period in December 2021, Sturdivant terrorized employees and patrons at 10 Cleveland-area stores as he committed robberies at gunpoint. Each time he entered a store, he would wander around the aisles before bringing a small item to the cashier counter. When the cashier opened the cashbox for the sale, Sturdivant pointed his gun at the employees, threatened their lives, and demanded money.
“Mr. Sturdivant’s violent actions inflicted a level of trauma on the employees and customers of these stores that was devastating and life altering,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We are thankful to the ATF and our local police departments for piecing together the evidence in these robberies and bringing this individual to justice. Our community is safer now that this serial criminal will spend decades behind bars.”
The victim businesses that were affected were:
- Walgreens Pharmacy, Chagrin Boulevard, Shaker Heights, Dec. 5, 2021
- Walgreens Pharmacy, Union Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 5, 2021
- Family Dollar, Madison Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 11, 2021
- Family Dollar, South Miles Road, Cleveland, Dec. 11, 2021
- Walgreens Pharmacy, Clark Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 16, 2021
- CVS Pharmacy, Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 16, 2021
- Family Dollar, East 93rd Street, Cleveland, Dec. 17, 2021
- Family Dollar, Kinsman Avenue, Cleveland, Dec. 26, 2021
- Family Dollar, 4172 Pearl Road, Cleveland, Dec. 2021
- Family Dollar, Detroit Road, Cleveland, Dec. 26, 2021
“There is no place in our society for criminals like Lawrence Sturdivant,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Smerglia. “The crimes he committed were despicable and cut to the very core of our moral fabric. Prison is exactly what he deserves. The tremendous work conducted by ATF Agents in conjunction with our local partners is a tribute to the excellent partnerships here in Cleveland. Violence will not be tolerated in our community, and I could not be prouder of our investigators and prosecutors for their efforts here every day.”
Investigators also discovered that Sturdivant attempted to hide evidence of his crimes. After the tenth robbery, he cleaned his car, parked it away from where he was staying, and reported it stolen to Cleveland police. When agents later searched his home, they found 9mm rounds of ammunition. In total, Sturdivant stole nearly $3,000 during the robberies.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Cleveland Division of Police-Real Time Crime Center, the Shaker Heights Police Department, and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam J. Joines and Margaret Kane for the Northern District of Ohio.
