Ohio felon convicted of carrying out series of armed pharmacy robberies throughout western Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - After deliberating for approximately two and a half hours, on March 21, 2024, a federal jury found Abdulrahman Abdelaziz Jamea guilty of seven crimes: one count each of conspiracy to commit armed pharmacy robbery and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, three counts of armed pharmacy robbery, and two counts of pharmacy robbery, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Jamea, 26, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, was tried before United States Senior District Judge Arthur J. Schwab in Pittsburgh.

Evidence introduced during the four-day trial, through 19 witnesses, established that the defendant participated in a conspiracy to rob pharmacies of Schedule II controlled substances—that is, highly addictive opioids and stimulants—between September 2018 and July 2019. This conspiracy included the robberies of pharmacies in Beaver, Bridgeville, Edinboro, Erie, and the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During three of the robberies, Jamea and his co-conspirators brandished a firearm to threaten the lives of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and to intimidate them into opening the locked safes where the controlled substances were kept. Evidence also established that the defendant went on to distribute these stolen narcotics in the Columbus, Ohio, area.

Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for July 31, 2024. The maximum penalty for the most serious offense of conviction is 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Jamea is currently serving a prison sentence of more than 40 years following his earlier conviction in Ohio state court for multiple counts of felonious assault with a firearm. He remains in custody pending his sentencing in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Assistant United States Attorneys Barbara K. Doolittle and Michael R. Ball prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Erie Police Department, Edinboro Police Department, Beaver Police Department, Bridgeville Police Department, and Ohio Highway Patrol all participated in the investigation leading to the conviction of Jamea.