Rockford Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard to a total of 150 months in federal prison for the robbery of the U.S. Cellular store, 6430 E. State St., in Rockford, on June 1, 2016, and using a firearm during a violent crime. McKINLEY HOARDE, III, 23, was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment for the robbery, and was ordered to serve a consecutive term of 84 months’ imprisonment for using a firearm during a crime of violence. After serving his sentence in federal prison, Hoarde will be placed on 5 years of supervised release. Hoarde pled guilty to the charges on July 9, 2018.

Also charged is RICKY WOODS, 22, of Rockford, who on Sept. 27, 2018, pled guilty to the robbery and the gun charge. Both men admitted that after arriving at the U.S. Cellular store they pulled out and pointed their guns at the only employee at the store. One of them grabbed the employee by the shirt collar and pulled the employee to the back room of the store, where they ordered the employee to the ground. Hoarde and Woods then took cellular phones from the store and removed electrical equipment from the wall in an attempt to disable the security system, before running out of the store.

Woods faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for the robbery, and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the firearms offense. The sentence imposed for the firearms offense is required to be consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Each charge also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing for Woods is set for Dec. 12, 2018 at 9:30 a.m.

The sentencing was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Celinez Nunez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and Jeffrey Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret J. Schneider.