A Philadelphia man who robbed three 7-Eleven stores in Bucks and Montgomery Counties last summer with what he said was a BB gun was sentenced today to serve three to 12 years in state prison.

Brandan Greisser, 22, blamed the crimes on drug addiction – both his and that of a former girlfriend, whom he claimed had led him astray.

Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge C. Theodore Fritsch called the robberies “very serious offenses which cannot be tolerated,” but said he wanted to give Greisser “an opportunity to lead a positive and productive life” by allowing him to be released while still young.

A presentence investigation had recommended a sentence of six to 12 years, Fritsch said.

Greisser, who was living in Montgomery County at the time of the 2017 crimes, pleaded guilty in January to three counts of robbery, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and theft by unlawful taking.

The sentencing was deferred to allow for a mental health evaluation and a presentence investigation.

An accomplice in two of the robberies, 29-year-old Michael S. Landis Jr. of Horsham, was sentenced March 23 by Judge Rea B. Boylan to serve two to six years in state prison.

Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon said that Greisser still awaits trial in Philadelphia on charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine.

All of Greisser’s robberies occurred within three days of each other.

Around 10:30 p.m. on July 11, he robbed a 7-Eleven store at 100 E. Moreland Ave. in Horsham. An employee said Greisser displayed what the worker thought was a black, semiautomatic handgun and demanded cash. Greisser escaped on foot with $100 and a pack of cigarettes.

At about 2:30 a.m. on July 13, Greisser and Landis robbed another 7-Eleven store at 320 E. Street Road in Lower Southampton Township. Landis drove to the store and waited outside as Greisser entered, pointed a gun and demanded cash.

The men escaped with $318, which they divided and spent at Parx Casino.

On their way home, less than two hours later, Greisser attempted to rob a third 7-Eleven in Warminster at 25 Newtown Road. While Landis waited outside, Greisser pointed a gun at an employee and demanded money, but fled empty-handed when the employee started walking to the rear of the store.

The guns were never recovered. Both Greisser and Landis claimed they were BB guns.

“My actions were disgraceful,” Greisser wrote in a letter submitted to Fritsch. “…I truly hope every person I put through these traumatic experiences, even if they don’t accept it, know that my apology is sincere.”

The letter went on to blame his behavior on an addiction to methamphetamine and a girlfriend whose habit he also supported.

Family members said Greisser had begun showing signs of mental illness in his teens, eventually to a point where they committed him involuntarily for fear that he would hurt himself.

“He was clearly in the throes of a decomposition of his mental health” when the crimes occurred, defense attorney Michael P. Quinn said. “…He is, I feel, a special kid. If you give him an opportunity, he will take advantage of it. He is a sick kid.”

Fritsch, however, noted that Greisser’s recent mental health evaluation did not diagnose him with any significant mental illness. His depression, the judge told the defendant, was “related to your present circumstances.”

Greisser alone “is the cause of his issues. He is the only one responsible for what he has done,” Gannon said, arguing for a lengthy prison sentence. “Fingers have been pointed in every direction by Mr. Greisser, except at himself.”

Fritsch sentenced Greisser to three concurrent three- to 12-year sentences, one for each robbery.

The case was investigated by the Horsham Township, Lower Southampton Township and Warminster Township Police Departments.

Contact: Thomas C. Gannon, 215.348.6461, tcgannon@buckscounty.org