Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia man was sentenced today to nearly 16 years in prison for robbing a gun and ammunition dealer at gunpoint.

“Criminals who rob innocent victims at gunpoint and threaten them with death will be brought to justice,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I want to thank our partners at the ATF for their outstanding work and assistance as we continue to target violent criminals who target innocent victims.”

According to court documents, Desmond Littlejohn, 33, of Norfolk, robbed the owner and an employee of Mac’s Reloads, which is a licensed federal firearms and ammunitions dealer. Littlejohn and his co-conspirator are friends with a former employee of Mac’s Reloads who provided them with inside information to help them successfully pull off a robbery of the store.

“Individuals such as these who are brazen enough to commit armed robberies are clear and present dangers to our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict, ATF Washington Field Division. “The sentence in this case sends an unequivocal message that this conduct will not be tolerated and provide further evidence of ATF’s commitment to combating violent crime by utilizing all available resources to make our communities safer.”

On the day of the robbery, Littlejohn and his co-conspirator laid in wait at 3:00 a.m. for the owner and an employee of Mac’s Reloads to return from a gun show in Philadelphia. Dressed in dark clothes and ski masks, they ambushed the owner and the employee while brandishing firearms. They demanded that the owner handover a black bag, which they knew contained approximately $10,000 in proceeds from the gun show. They threatened the owner and the employee with death if they did not comply, and forced them at gunpoint to lay on the ground while they made their escape. As the robbers were driving away they tossed the contents of the black bag onto the road with the exception of the money.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr and William B. Jackson prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:18-cr-119.

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