Ten years is the sentence for one of two men who targeted five Walgreens in the Twin Cities for armed robbery that netted tens of thousands of dollars in prescription drugs.

Michael I. White, 20, of Muncie, Ind., was sentenced in federal court in St. Paul last week after pleading guilty to interference to commerce. Once his prison time is up, White will be on supervised release for three years. He also was ordered to pay nearly $85,000 in restitution.

The prosecution pointed out in a presentence filing that White has been convicted of auto theft, armed robbery, felony resisting law enforcement, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.

"All of his criminal activity, including the five robberies in this case, occurred within the last four years," the prosecution filing noted. "He is a virtual one-man crime wave."

Accomplice Javonn T. Lewis, 24, city of residence not disclosed, also pleaded guilty for his role in the robberies and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3.

According to White's guilty plea and court documents filed in court:

From April to July in 2018, White terrorized numerous Walgreens employees in stores in St. Paul and Edina by pointing actual or replica firearms at them and sometimes restraining them with zip ties.

In total, White and his accomplice stole more than $75,000 worth of narcotics and other controlled substances, with $51,000 worth of drugs taken in the July 17 robbery at about 4:30 a.m. of the Walgreens on York Avenue in Edina. Employees were bound with zip ties and forced to the back of the store during the holdup.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482