Man pleads guilty in federal court to 6 armed robberies in 2021

FILE – Thomas Eagleton Federal Courthouse in Downtown St. Louis.

Posted: Oct 5, 2023 / 05:37 PM CDT

Updated: Oct 5, 2023 / 05:37 PM CDT

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man appeared in U.S. District Court on Thursday and admitted to several armed robberies in 2021.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Bruce Franklin, 64, pleaded guilty to six counts of robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, the robberies occurred on these dates at the following businesses:

On Aug. 26, 2021, at the Boost Mobile at 3636 Page Blvd.
On Sept. 4, 2021, at the T-Mobile at 4167 Lindell Blvd.
On Sept. 10, 2021, at the Boost Mobile at 3636 Page Blvd.
On Sept. 17, 2021, at the MetroPCS at 3949 Lindell Blvd.
On Sept. 20, 2021, at the T-Mobile at 4167 Lindell Blvd.
On Oct. 27, 2021, at the Family Dollar at 11123 Bellfontaine Rd.

Franklin told the court he stole cash from the registers and, in one case, took a handgun belonging to an employee of one of the stores.

Franklin had an accomplice, Kristie Meeks, during the robberies on Sept. 17 and Sept. 20. Meeks, 47, recently pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Both Franklin and Meeks will be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2024. Each robbery charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; the brandishing charge carries a seven-year mandatory minimum; and the felon in possession charges carry 10-year sentences.