Pharmacy robber pleads guilty

A Spokane Valley man accused of robberies in Idaho and three other states pleaded guilty Monday to 13 counts of interference with commerce by robbery.

Brian James Lindsey, 25, Lindsey was indicted by federal grand juries in four states between January and April, according to U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson.

"As demonstrated by this defendant's crime spree across four states, prescription drug addiction and abuse can lead to very serious criminal conduct with real victims," said Olson, in a press release. "Each individual who was robbed by Lindsey suffered the threat of harm and pharmacists in the area were on high alert during the time Lindsey was engaged in his robberies. I commend the collaborative work of all law enforcement in all four states that helped apprehend Lindsey."

Lindsey admitted in a plea agreement that in October 2014, he began a robbery spree across North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Lindsey robbed six businesses in North Dakota between Oct. 22 and 31. Initially these robberies were for cash. By Oct. 28, Lindsey was robbing pharmacies seeking prescription narcotic drugs.

After leaving North Dakota, Lindsey robbed a Shopko in Sidney, Mont., taking drugs. He returned to the Spokane area by Nov. 15. Between Nov. 15 and Jan. 4, Lindsey robbed six more pharmacies in the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane area. The FBI-sponsored North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force began to focus its attention on Lindsey prior to the last robbery. The Task Force worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho and applied for a tracker warrant for Lindsey's vehicle. After Lindsey robbed a Walgreens in Idaho, law enforcement quickly apprehended him. Once in custody, Lindsey made a full confession to all the robberies. The cases were consolidated after Lindsey was indicted in each federal district where he committed his offense. The District of Idaho agreed to handle all the counts since Lindsey was already charged in Coeur d'Alene.

The charge of interference with commerce by robbery is punishable by as long as 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 20, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

The case was investigated by state, federal and local law enforcement in North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Spokane.