The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lakeem Hunter-Knight, 21, of Tobyhanna, was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion for brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Hunter-Knight pointed a firearm at two victims during a robbery of the Pickerel Inn General Store in Dingmans Ferry on May 20, 2020. During the robbery, Hunter-Knight made the victims lie on the ground facedown and threatened to shoot them if they moved.

Hunter-Knight stole six firearms from the store, which is a federal licensed firearms dealer, before fleeing the scene. He was later apprehended after investigators found two of the stolen firearms in an abandoned vehicle which also contained a GPS device showing Hunter-Knight’s home address. The remaining firearms, along with other evidence, was found when investigators executed a search warrant at Hunter-Knight’s residence.

In addition to the seven-year imprisonment sentence, Mannion ordered Hunter-Knight to serve three years of supervised release upon release and to pay $4,000 in restitution to his victims.

The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pocono Mountain Regional Police, the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, and the Pike County District Attorney’s office.