Stephen Kennedy, a 34-year-old from Temple Hills, Maryland, was sentenced on Apr. 21 to 45 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in an arson and robbery conspiracy targeting convenience stores. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang also ordered Kennedy to pay $367,354.82 in restitution after a federal jury found him guilty in February 2025 of multiple charges including conspiracy to commit arson, commercial robbery, use of firearms during violent crimes, carrying explosives during felonies, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The sentencing highlights the ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address violent crime and protect businesses from organized criminal activity. The case involved coordinated action between local police departments and federal agencies as part of broader strategies aimed at reducing gun violence.
According to court documents presented during the trial, Kennedy worked with co-conspirators including Donnell Kelly between January 2021 and January 2022 to set fires at several 7-Eleven stores while they were open for business. The group used explosive devices to ignite fires with the intention of forcing store closures so they could later disable security cameras and steal cash from ATMs inside the buildings. On one occasion, a co-conspirator demanded money directly from a store’s register. The scheme resulted in losses totaling at least $90,000 for the ATM company.
In October 2024, Kelly pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to arson and received a sentence of ten years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended multiple agencies for their investigative work on this case: “I commend our law enforcement partners whose dedication made this prosecution possible.” Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Rosenthal and Christopher Sarma who prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which brings together all levels of law enforcement with community organizations aiming to reduce violent crime through focused enforcement priorities—a strategy launched nationally on May 26, 2021.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland serves nearly six million residents across Maryland according to its official website. The office employs over two hundred personnel across civil, criminal and administrative divisions according to its official website, handling both prosecution of federal crimes as well as civil cases involving government interests according to its official website. It partners with law enforcement agencies throughout Maryland according to its official website—enhancing quality-of-life through effective justice administration—and counts alumni among prominent government leaders according to its official website.
