Prison Time For Delco Man Who Tied Up Store Clerk In Armed Robbery

CLIFTON HEIGHTS, PA — A Delaware County man was sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for the armed robbery of a cell phone store in 2022.

United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said Jason Donte Hayes, 26, of Clifton Heights, was sentenced Monday by to 11 years and three months in prison, as well as five years of supervised release, for the armed robbery of a Delaware County cellular phone store.

At the time of the crime, Hayes was on state probation for burglary and a previous robbery.

In August 2022, Hayes was charged by indictment with one count of robbery interfering with interstate commerce and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, pleading guilty to those charges in May of this year.

On the afternoon of June 9, 2022, Hayes entered a Metro by T-Mobile store in Clifton Heights. He initially posed as a customer, asking the store employee about the price of a wireless headset.

Shortly thereafter, Hayes pointed a gun at the employee and stated that he "wanted the stuff." In response, the employee placed the headset into the defendant’s open backpack. "No, the money," Hayes replied. The employee opened the cash register and put $452 into the defendant’s backpack.

Hayes took out a roll of duct tape from his backpack, ordered the employee to a rear office, tied the employee to a chair, left the office, then walked out of the store with the headset and cash.

The employee was eventually able to free himself and call 911.

As part of their investigation, Clifton Heights police looked at numerous video surveillance clips from residences and businesses in the area.

They determined that the robber left the store on foot and walked to a Clifton Heights home, which proved to be the Hayes's residence.

Details of the robbery and the surveillance footage were disseminated within the Clifton Heights Police Department. Two weeks after the robbery, police officers spotted Hayes in front of his residence and took him into custody.

At the time of his arrest, he was wearing the stolen wireless headset and carrying a loaded .45 caliber pistol and ammunition in his backpack.

"Terrorizing an employee who’s just trying to earn a living so that you can steal money and merchandise is outrageous," Romero said. "My office, the FBI, and our partners are working every day to hold armed repeat offenders like Mr. Hayes accountable, with the public’s safety our number one priority."

"Armed robberies threaten the safety and security of our communities, undermining the hard work the FBI and its partners put in every day to protect the public," Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, said. "Today's sentencing sends a clear message: the FBI is steadfast in its commitment to removing violent offenders from our streets and ensuring they face justice."