Wichita man who robbed gas stations at gunpoint sentenced to 11 years in federal prison

A Wichita man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison after he admitted to robbing four gas stations at gunpoint.

Brelen Vonfange was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to 135 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to obstructing commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. Seven additional felony charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Vonfange admitted in court documents that he and co-defendant Shaiquille Harris robbed three Kwik Shop convenience stores and one QuikTrip on the night of Dec. 15, 2018. Vonfange was the gunman while Harris was the getaway driver.

Harris previously pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the crime spree and was sentenced to roughly 9.5 years in prison.

They got about $850 from the four armed robberies, which Wichita police said took place in less than an hour. The judge ordered them to pay restitution to the stores. At the time of their arrests, Vonfange was 27 years old and Harris was 25.

No injuries were reported in the robberies. The cases were investigated by the Wichita Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 3:06 PM.