Milwaukee Men sentenced to Federal Prison for pharmacy robberies and firearms offenses

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Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 2, 2024, four defendants have been sentenced by United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller to federal prison terms for their involvement in armed robberies of pharmacies in Milwaukee and other offenses.

According to public court filings, Robert K. Love (30) and Theodore D. Smith (31) carried out an armed robbery of a pharmacy in Milwaukee on November 3, 2021. Days later, on November 7, 2021, Love, Smith, and Alex M. Rollins (31) robbed a second pharmacy in the area. Both robberies involved the brandishing of a handgun, which was used to intimidate, threaten, and physically assault pharmacy staff. The robbers stole significant quantities of controlled substances and then sought to distribute those drugs. A federal grand jury returned indictments against Love, Smith, and Rollins, who all later pleaded guilty.

Smith was sentenced on February 29, 2024, to a 15-year federal prison term. At the time he participated in the November 2021 robberies, Smith was on supervised release following an earlier federal prison term imposed for similar crimes in 2015.
Rollins was sentenced on September 7, 2023, to a 6-year federal prison term.

According to authorities, Love was sentenced on May 2, 2024, to a 14-year prison term, followed by a term of supervised release. In addition to the November 2021 robberies, Love had also carried out thefts of three handguns from federal firearms licensees in October 2021 and had made false statements to law enforcement in November 2022. Love’s co-actor in the handgun thefts, Kenta D. Tittle (age 23), was sentenced to a 22-month prison term.

In announcing each of these defendants’ sentences, Judge Stadtmueller emphasized the seriousness of these crimes and their effect on individual victims and the community at large.

“Pharmcy robberies cause multiple layers of harm, placing the physical safety of others at risk, traumatizing victims, and introducing controlled substances into the community,” said Haanstad.

“In addition, individuals who are willing to steal firearms and get them into the hands of others through uncontrolled sales similarly pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of the neighborhoods in which we all live and work. I commend everyone who played a role in pursuing justice in these matters,” Haanstad added.

The FBI agreed.

“Wisconsin residents should not be forced to live in fear of being a victim of violent crime,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle.

“The dedicated women and men of the FBI go to great lengths to apprehend those responsible, and their efforts increase the safety of our citizens in their communities. The FBI will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to bring individuals like these to justice,” Hensle added.

Other federal agencies agreed.

“ATF stands alongside our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, committed to investigating and prosecuting these important cases,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon of the Chicago Field Division.

“These sentences send a strong message that we will use every resource at our disposal to hold those accountable for the violence in our community,” Amon added.

The robbery investigation was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Milwaukee Police Department, working as part of the FBI’s Milwaukee Area Violent Crime Task Force.

Love and Tittle’s handgun thefts and related firearms offenses were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Germantown Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Farris Martini and Margaret B. Honrath.