MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Eric Maurice Holliday was sentenced to 87 months in prison on one count of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery.Holliday previously pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026. He was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz on October 8, 2026. According to court documents, in early April 2024, Holliday learned that a package containing approximately 10 pounds of marijuana would be delivered by a commercial package delivery service to a home in Maplewood, Minnesota. On or about April 19, 2024, the defendant traveled to the home with the intention of taking the package. Holliday traveled to the address with three associates, including Nasir Jones, who was armed with a firearm to aid their efforts in taking the package. Holliday had access to the tracking number of the package and thus knew the time the package would be delivered.Upon arrival at the home, Holliday and his associates observed the commercial package delivery service employee bring the package to the door and also a man, James Newbill, standing at the doorway of the house. Jones and two others got out of the car, and Jones carried his gun visibly in one hand and ran up to the employee to wrestle the package from the employee’s hands and ran back into the car with Holliday. After Jones took the package, Jones and Newbill discharged their firearms towards each other, while the delivery service employee hid behind a car to avoid the gunfire. Holliday, Jones, and others then drove to a nearby home, where they split the marijuana from the package between them. The defendant intended to sell the marijuana. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Schiltz noted that the defendant was the “instigator of the plan” and that he participated in a “reckless and dangerous crime that easily could have gotten someone killed.”“The defendant helped execute a robbery to steal drugs and his associate brought a gun that endangered public safety while they committed the crime. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his actions,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.“This was not a spontaneous crime, but a coordinated effort to steal drugs using intimidation and firearms all the while putting a hapless delivery driver in a dangerous situation,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Joseph Persails, of the St. Paul Field Division. “We are glad to see Mr. Holliday taking responsibility for his actions. ATF is committed to holding individuals accountable when firearms and criminal activity intersect. We were proud to work alongside the Maplewood Police Department on this case and will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law‑enforcement partners to address violent criminal activity throughout Minnesota.”This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Maplewood Police Department, with assistance from the St. Paul Police Department, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, and other law enforcement partners.Assistant United States Attorneys William C. Mattessich and Nathan H. Nelson are prosecuting this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice