A federal judge last week sentenced a man to 77 months in prison for robbing a series of businesses in Boston in 2023 while he was on probation for a series of armed robberies in New York. Akeem Lahens, 34, brandished “two large knives” in each of the robberies of stores in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury, prosecutors say. In one robbery, he wore sandals.

At the time of the first robbery, of a Metro PCS store on Tremont Street in Roxbury on April 21, 2023, Lahens was in only his third month of probation for 15 similar armed robberies in New York following a 30-month prison stay. He pleaded guilty to the Boston robberies earlier this year.

Boston Police, State Police ,and federal agents began investigating Lahens after a friend of his child’s mother told police that her friend had told her that Lahens had committed two recent robberies and that … she saw media coverage related to the armed robberies.”

Lahens was charged with armed robberies of a Metro by T Mobile Store at 1049 Tremont St. in Roxbury on April 21, a Boost Mobile store at 373 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain’s Hyde Square on April 26, the Cricket Wireless store at 306 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain’s Jackson Square on April 27, and the Dunkin’ Donuts at 1580 Dorchester Ave. on May 4.

In a sentencing memorandum, assistant US Attorney David Tobin urged US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs to hand down a sentence of at least 72 months, saying that a rough childhood, which included abandonment and sexual and other physical abuse, was not a sufficient reason to be lenient, especially since Lahens has shown himself unable to stop from threatening and committing violent robberies.