Belleville man sentenced for robbing three stores in one night, a fourth weeks later
A Belleville man has been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for robbing four metro-east businesses in 2019.
Cameron J. Blake, 23, on Tuesday was sentenced to 252 months on four counts of interfering with commerce by robbery and three counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a release from United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Illinois.
Blake pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court.
According to court documents, the four separate robberies occurred throughout December 2019.
The documents state Blake robbed two ZX gas stations on Dec. 2, 2019, one in Belleville and one in Swansea, and then robbed a Huck’s Food and Fuel in Belleville. Blake threatened employees with a gun with a flashlight attachment and too cash “by force.”
Blake also entered a Domino’s pizza in Belleville on Dec. 27, 2019, and demanded cash with a similar firearm, the U.S. attorney’s office stated.
As part of his sentence, Blake will serve a three-year term of supervised release after his prison term.
The Belleville and Swansea police departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 12:53 PM.