A Philadelphia man has been slapped with fifteen years in jail for using an explosive device to blow up an ATM in Philadelphia during the civil unrest in spring 2020 following the killing of George Floyd.
According to United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams, 26-year-old David Elmakayes was given the sentence and three years of supervised release for “using an explosive device to damage an automated teller machine and for illegally possessing a firearm.”
On June 18, 2020, Elmakayes was busted and charged with malicious damage of property with an explosive device, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and related charges.
Authorities say on the night of June 3, 2020, Elmakayes used an explosive device to damage an ATM on the 200 block of East Westmoreland Street in North Philadelphia.
At the time of his arrest, Elmakayes also had three more explosive devices in his possession along with a .32 caliber pistol, according to authorities.
“This defendant took advantage of a volatile situation on the streets of Philadelphia to commit a dangerous act that could have injured many people,” Williams said.
“Damaging property with an explosive device and illegally carrying a firearm are federal crimes which our Office will aggressively prosecute. Elmakayes will now spend 15 years in prison for these crimes.”
