Cook County man gets prison sentence for terrifying armed robbery of cellphone store

DUPAGE COUNTY - A Calumet City man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for using a gun to rob a suburban cellphone store of $40,000 in merchandise.

On Nov. 8, 2019, Wheaton police officers responded to the Sprint store located at 212 Danada Square West for a report of an armed robbery.

An investigation revealed that around 7:45 p.m., Denzel Furance entered the store armed with a semi-automatic weapon and ordered two employees to a back storage room where a third employee was already located. Furnace then ordered one of the workers to bind the wrists and ankles of the other employees with duct tape.

Furance then bound the wrists and ankles of the third employee, prosecutors said. He then had the employees open the safe in the room which contained electronic devices.

Furance took about 58 items and stuffed them in garbage bags he brought with him. He then duct-taped the employees' eyes and mouths before leaving.

He returned moments later picking up some of the stolen items he had dropped on the way out before fleeing again.

On Nov. 9, 2019, Furance was taken into custody in Lansing, Illinois.

Denzel Furance

"With their hands and feet bound and their eyes and mouths covered with duct tape, I cannot even begin to imagine the terror these innocent employees must have felt," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.

"Violent gun crimes have no place in society and my office stands ready to bring the full force and effect of the law upon anyone who commits this type of brazen criminal conduct. We are all thankful none of the employees were physically injured and it is my hope that with today’s sentence, the survivors of this crime will be able to continue their lives feeling safer knowing that the man who terrorized them has been sentenced to twenty-three years behind bars."

The next court date for Stephon Little, who was Furance's accomplice, is set for Feb. 26, 2024.