PHILADELPHIA, PA – Two men have been charged after breaking into and robbing at least 25 gaming machines in 7-Elevens and gas station across the Philadelphia area.
According to Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Brandyn Warren and Antoine Laster were both arrested. During the execution of asearch warrant, law enforcement investigators found five firearms, an ATM machine, and cash.
“These men conspired together to steal over $100,000, which they used to purchase numerous firearms,” said AG Shapiro. “My office will not tolerate this kind of blatant theft and violence and will hold these defendants accountable for their crimes.”
According to Shapiro, “The six-month investigation, conducted by the Office of Attorney General, revealed that in each robbery Warren, Laster, and their co-conspirators utilized the same common scheme to steal from the gaming machines. They entered the gas station or convenience store during business hours wearing masks, hoods, and gloves, and proceeded to use sledgehammers, pry bars, and other tools to break open the machines and steal the cash that was inside. The robberies resulted in a loss of over $125,000, and damage in excess of $114,000.”
The machines hold cash deposit boxes to disperse cash to the winners and state officials are in court to challenge the legality of those machines.