Teen gets state time for armed home invasion in Marple

MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> A juvenile who was charged as an adult following his June 2015 arrest for a home invasion was sentenced to two to four years in a state correctional facility Tuesday and ordered to pay nearly $126,000 in restitution.

Abdullah Hartage, now 19, entered open guilty pleas under two separate cases in June to two counts each of robbery and burglary, as well as four counts of criminal conspiracy and one count of firearms carried without a license.

Hartage was 17 when he was arrested with brothers Sterling Jack Wallace, 26, and Jamain Lamont Wallace, 25, both of the 800 block of West Cobbs Creek Parkway in Yeadon, following a mid-afternoon breakin and robbery at a residence in the 2600 block of Old Cedar Grove Road in Marple on June 15, 2015. A fourth suspect, Hartage’s uncle, Tyree Eric Mansell, was later apprehended in North Carolina and returned to Pennsylvania.

Robbery and related charges against the Wallace brothers and Mansell, 36, of Philadelphia, were withdrawn in June in favor of an indictment in Philadelphia federal court alleging conspiracy, attempted robbery, carrying and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and aiding and abetting. The trio is scheduled for formal arraignment Thursday.

The federal indictment claims the defendants conspired to rob the Cedar Grove home because they believed it was where the proceeds of a local tavern were being kept.

Hartage allegedly drove the other three men to the home, where Mansell and Sterling Wallace approached the door armed with firearms. Hartage and Jamain Wallace remained in the car as lookouts, according to the indictment.

The victim’s 17-yearold son opened the door and was pushed back into the home at gunpoint, according to the indictment. Sterling Wallace allegedly struck the teen in the face with his gun, causing a severe laceration and bleeding. Mansell allegedly confronted the boy’s mother on the second floor and pointed a gun at her as Sterling Wallace marched her son up the stairs and directed him to a bedroom.

Jamain Wallace then allegedly entered the home and joined the other two defendants upstairs, where he took Mansell’s gun and stood guard over the victims as Mansell and Sterling Wallace ransacked the residence. Mansell allegedly found a safe in a bedroom and forced the woman to open it at gunpoint.

The men then allegedly returned to Hartage in the car and fled, making off with a large amount of cash and jewelry.

Police responded to the residence at 1:04 p.m. The victims’ feet and hands had allegedly been bound by electrical wire and cloth, but the woman was able to free herself and call 911.

Officers allegedly located a gold Lexus traveling on Route 320 occupied by four black males and attempted a stop on Lawrence Road. The Wallace brothers and Hartage were taken into custody at that time, along with two firearms; a 9mm Smith and Wesson, and a 9mm Beretta. Both weapons were loaded, according to the indictment.

Defense attorney Kevin Wray offered testimony from Upper Darby Detective Ed Silberstein Tuesday, who confirmed Hartage had cooperated with police. Hartage’s grandmother and aunt also testified on his behalf, describing him as a good kid who got mixed up in a bad situation.

Wray argued his client has intellectual deficiencies and is easily manipulated, but has continued cooperating with authorities even after it was clear he would not enter the juvenile system. He asked Judge George Pagano to recognize that cooperation and Hartage’s limited role as a driver when crafting a sentence.

Assistant District Attorney Sandra Urban read a statement from the victim, who indicated the robbery was the worst day of her life. She said jewelry stolen from the home had only just been given to her by her failing grandmother and the grandmother’s funeral had taken place just one day before the robbery. Those irreplaceable items, along with a large sum of cash intended to go toward her son’s college education, have not been recovered.

“Unfortunately, the material things weren’t the only thing stolen from us,” Urban read. “Since that day of the incident, we have all lost our ability to feel safe. I feel like I am always looking over my shoulder to see who is behind me. I am skeptical of everyone and everything now. I can’t even come home and feel safe in my home like most people, because my own home is where I feel the most vulnerable.”

Urban acknowledged Hartage cooperated with police and does have some learning deficiencies, but said he minimized his own involvement early on by pretending not to know the robberies were taking place. Texts and pictures found on his cell phone indicated he was planning robberies and other criminal activity, according to Urban. The denial of involvement shows some level of sophistication, she said.

Hartage also apologized to the victims Tuesday.

“I didn’t know he was going to hit them,” Hartage said. “I am responsible for that. I made a bad decision to follow my uncle and hurt a lot of people in my family.”

In addition to prison time, Hartage was given nine years of consecutive probation in one case and seven in the other. He is not eligible for early release, but was given credit for time served. Hartage was also ordered to pay more than $125,952 in restitution.

“It is not a light sentence, but it is a fair one, given the facts,” Wray later wrote in an email.