An Eastpointe, Michigan, man who told investigators he committed a series of armed robberies in order to feed his children on Thursday was sentenced to more than half a century in prison. US District Judge Denise Page Hood sentenced Mohamed Abdi to 56 years behind bars.
Abdi was convicted last year of robbing employees of eight retail stores in Macomb and Wayne counties at gunpoint. His robbery spree took in a total of $2,800, according to federal prosecutors. Prosecutors said his spree was fueled by his alcohol and gambling addictions, although Abdi initially told investigators he needed the money to feed his newborn twins. Authorities said the children hadn’t been born yet when his spree began.
“It is simply outrageous that Abdi would arm himself with a loaded weapon and confront no less than nine employees,” Assistant US Attorney Jeanine Brunson wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “His crimes were not borne out of need, but rather greed…” Macomb Daily