March 10, 2017
A Philadelphia man was sentenced to prison Thursday for his allegedly "violent" robbery of a Center City bar, federal authorities announced.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said James Parker, 50, was given 10 years of incarceration followed by five years supervised release on charges he used a gun to attack a bar manager at Tavern on Broad and steal $8,000 from the establishment.
Parker allegedly robbed the bar, located at 200 S. Broad St., in May 2016 by holding a gun to the back of the manager's neck and beating him over the head with the weapon several times before forcing him to open the safe and give him the money, authorities said.
Parker pleaded guilty in November to charges of robbery which interferes with interstate commerce and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
When he was charged in July, Parker faced a potential maximum sentence of life in prison.
