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Suspect in Marietta robbery faces federal charges

MARIETTA — A suspect in a December armed robbery at Rite Aid in Marietta has been indicted on federal charges, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania said.

Arthur Lee Worthy II, 21, of Columbus was one of three Ohio men indicted by a grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy to commit armed pharmacy robbery, armed pharmacy robbery, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of Schedule II controlled substances, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady said.

Worthy is believed to have entered Rite Aid on Greene Street on Dec. 2 and at gunpoint demanded money from the safe from the pharmacist. According to Marietta Police, when the pharmacist told the suspect there wasn’t a safe in the back of the store, the robber jumped over the counter and pistol whipped the pharmacist before taking money from a register at the front of the store.

Worthy was arrested later that month in northern Ohio after a traffic stop where drugs were allegedly found in the vehicle.

Also named in the seven-count indictment were Abdulrahman Abdelaziz Jamea, 21, and Mohammed Jibril, 19, formerly of Reynoldsburg, Ohio

According to the indictment, from September to May, the defendants conspired to rob numerous pharmacies while brandishing what appeared to be a firearm and conspired to possess with intent to distribute Schedule II controlled substances.

Rite Aid in Marietta was among the six pharmacies listed by the U.S. Attorney. The other five were Rite Aids and CVS pharmacies in Edinboro, Beaver, Pittsburgh, Bridgeville and Erie in Pennsylvania.

The law provides for a maximum sentence 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

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