U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced that Amir Harvey, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to 96 months in prison, three years of supervised release and restitution of $717, in connection with the armed robbery of a commercial business and a carjacking, both in the Northeast.
Harvey was arrested in September 2022. Last October, he pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, carjacking and possession of ammunition by a felon.
On Sept. 9, 2022, at about 11 p.m., the defendant and three others approached the Hook and Reel restaurant, 9763 Roosevelt Blvd. Upon encountering an employee of the restaurant outside, Harvey and the others forced him inside, ransacked the office, stole about $400 from the cash drawers and fled.
In the early-morning hours of Sept. 19, 2022, Philadelphia police officers responded to a report of a robbery in progress on the 8900 block of Maxwell Place in the Holme Circle area, where the victim reported that her car had just been stolen by an armed individual as she and her teenage daughter were about to leave for school.
The victim stated that around 6:15 a.m., she started her vehicle using an application on her cell phone. A short time later, she and her daughter exited their house and walked to the car parked in the front driveway, when they were approached by an armed individual, later identified as the defendant, who pointed a firearm, later found to be a replica, at their heads.
The defendant grabbed the victim’s keys and purse and sped away in her vehicle. The victim then used its location tracking feature on her cell phone app and informed police, who responded to that location on the 2000 block of Griffith St., about 2½ miles from the victim’s home. Using neighborhood video surveillance footage, investigators traced the movement of the victim’s vehicle and the defendant to a nearby apartment complex.
“This armed robbery and carjacking were violent crimes targeting absolutely innocent victims,” Metcalf said. “Amir Harvey ambushed a restaurant employee on a break, and a mother and daughter heading off to school. Offenses like these inject fear into our community and affect our quality of life. The Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force is working every day to hold perpetrators accountable. Public safety is our top priority.”
“Amir Harvey is going to federal prison for many years for this brazen and calculated carjacking and robbery,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “We hope this case deters those willing to use violence in our community. Working with our partners in our Carjacking Task Force and applying ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools, we will continue to prevent and prosecute violent crime and make our streets safer.” ••
