A Cleveland man has been sentenced to a decade in prison for robbing an informant during a federal weapons investigation.
Carl P. Lewis, 28, of Cuyahoga County, was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty in May. U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker imposed the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release following his jail term.
Lewis pleaded guilty to three significant federal charges: robbery of mail, money, or other United States property; using or carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime; and felony possession of a firearm. According to court documents, Lewis has a prior robbery conviction from 2016, which increased the severity of his sentence.
Undercover Deal Turns Violent
According to court documents, the incident occurred in October 2024 during a covert operation carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The agency had engaged a confidential informant to help with a guns investigation involving Lewis.
The informant and Lewis had been messaging about a potential firearms sale. The two agreed to meet at a certain location to finalize the transaction. When the informant arrived, Lewis wanted $2,500 cash before displaying the firearms. Following procedure, the informant sought to inspect the firearms first.
Lewis briefly entered the house to grab the guns, but soon became hostile and threatened the informant. During a physical altercation between the two guys over the weapons, another man emerged from the house and brandished a pistol with a laser sight against the informant. Lewis then forcibly took the $2,500 cash from the informant.
The entire altercation was captured on film, which served as important evidence in the federal prosecution.
Lewis was detained shortly following the incident. Law enforcement authorities found a rifle and two pistols in his hands.
The case serves as a reminder about the dangers that government informants confront, as well as the harsh federal punishments that await convicts who use firearms to commit violent crimes.
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