Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
BOSTON – A Malden man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to robbing a local market using an airsoft gun in December 2021.
John Schurko, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 15, 2024. Schurko was charged by criminal complaint in December 2021 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2022.
On Dec. 12, 2021 at approximately 8 p.m., Schurko entered the Harvard Market in Malden, displayed what appeared to be a black handgun, went behind the counter and demanded money from the clerk. On Dec. 16, 2021, Schurko’s getaway vehicle was located in a hotel parking lot in Medford where he was subsequently arrested. A search of the vehicle recovered, among other things, a black Airsoft gun that resembled a real firearm.
The charge of interference with commerce by robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Malden Police Chief Glenn Cronin; Medford Police Chief Jack Buckley; Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost; and Woburn Police Chief Robert F. Rufo Jr. made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.