David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Donald Gladden, 57, of New Castle, Delaware, was sentenced last week to 53 months in prison for a string of tobacco store robberies committed during a 10-day crime spree.
At the time he committed these robberies, Gladden was on supervised release, a form of post-incarceration probation in the federal system, for an earlier series of robberies he committed in Maryland. The Honorable Colm F. Connolly, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, pronounced the sentence, which included 12 months for the violation of Gladden’s supervised release and 41 months for the Hobbs Act robberies.
According to court documents, Gladden committed robberies on May 27, May 31, and June 5, 2022, using a fake gun that appeared to be real to obtain cash and Newport cigarettes during each incident. The total amount of cash and cigarettes taken exceeded $10,000.
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “Mr. Gladden’s use of a fake gun to commit these violent acts does not minimize the terror his victims suffered. His sentence serves as a warning to others that my office will continue to seek stiff prison sentences for those, like Mr. Gladden, who prey upon Delaware citizens.”
“The FBI remains steadfast in rooting out threats to the community in any form. The heinous acts of Mr. Gladden are not reduced by an inoperable firearm, as it inflicted the same level of fear to those in the community who expect to remain safe from harm,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryeshia Holley of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “The citizens of Delaware can rely on the continued collaborative efforts of law enforcement partners to maintain their public safety.”
This case was investigated by the Delaware State Police Robbery Unit out of Troop 2 in Bear and the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli H. Klein prosecuted the case.
In October of last year, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Gladden with three counts of Hobbs Act Robbery.
According to the indictment, Glandden, then 56, robbed three tobacco stores in New Castle, Delaware during a 10-day crime spree this summer. The Indictment alleges Gladden committed robberies on May 27, May 31, and June 5, 2022, taking cash and Newport cigarettes during each incident.
Gladden was charged with three counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, one for each store. He faced a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.