Man Robs Cosi Three Times, Gets 35 Years In Prison

Cosi at 235 South 15th Street, via Google Maps

Some people rob liquor stores. Others rob banks. And still others rob Cosis, the publicly traded restaurant chain with over 100 locations throughout the country. Such is the case with 29-year-old Northeast Philadelphia man Ramon Martinez, who robbed Cosi twice and attempted to rob the restaurant once more.

On Thursday, the United States Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia announced that Martinez had been sentenced to a whopping 35-1/2 years in prison for his role in the armed robberies. He pleaded guilty back in March 2014.

Martinez robbed the Cosi at 15th and Locust streets on December 9, 2013 and again two weeks later on December 24. And in between, he tried to rob the Cosi on 36th Street in University City. His total take: Approximately $3,900, which works out to about $109 per year sentenced. Hope it was worth it.

In addition to the lengthy sentence in federal prison, Martinez will be on probation for five years once he gets out, and he’ll also have to pay back the money he stole. There’s also a $2,000 fine.

Martinez’s two codefendants in the robberies both pleaded guilty earlier this month, just before jury selection was to begin. They are scheduled to be sentenced in May.

If you’re wondering why Martinez got such a long sentence, it’s not because he has an extensive history of violent crime or bank robberies. In fact, a quick check of Pennsylvania court records shows only minor brushes with the law.

But Martinez was prosecuted under the federal Hobbs Act, which allows for stiffer sentences for armed robberies of businesses involved in interstate commerce. The first such robbery gets you a mandatory seven years in federal prison, and a second one throws an extra 25 on top of that, and so forth and so on. With the combination of charges against him, the maximum sentence allowed would have been life in prison. By pleading guilty, Martinez should be a free man again before he hits the age of retirement.