A Reading man faces a possible life sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty last week in U.S. District Court to charges in three armed robberies in Berks County in 2022 in which he took tens of thousands of dollars.
Mikal Portalatin, 34, entered his plea Thursday before U.S. District Judge John M. Gallagher in Philadelphia to one count each of Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and armed bank robbery.
A Hobbs Act robbery impacts commerce that crosses state lines or involves international trade. It must involve the use of force, violence, or fear to take someone’s property, affecting interstate or foreign commerce.
Portalatin, who was initially charged by Cumru Township police and Reading police, was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024.
He admitted to the following robberies in 2022:
• Citgo gas station, 225 Buttonwood St., Reading, on July 27.
• Sunoco gas station convenience store, 1547 Lancaster Ave., Cumru Township, on Aug. 3
• Members First Credit Union, in the Shillington Commons shopping center along East Lancaster Avenue in Cumru, on Nov. 21.
During the Citgo robbery, Portalatin discharged his firearm at an employee who chased him as he fled, officials said. The round struck the ground several feet away from the employee, who immediately stopped chasing the suspect.
The level of violence deployed in the robberies alarmed police. Multiple agencies collaborated in the investigation, and security camera images were circulated to the media.
Local police arrested him on Thanksgiving 2022 in a Wyomissing motel room.
According to investigators:
Portalatin had two black masks in the room where he was staying and was wearing similar clothing to that of the suspect during the Members First robbery.
Police recovered a total of $36,420, composed entirely of $20 bills — 1,821 of them— that was believed to have been stolen at Members First.
The money was in a fabric bag similar to the one the suspect used to carry the haul from the credit union during the robbery.
Portalatin was no stranger to Berks law enforcement. He served a prison sentence for taking part in a home-invasion robbery in Reading in 2013.
Reading Criminal Investigator Trevor Atkins recognized the person in security camera images as Portalatin from prior contacts with him. A store employee also identified Portalatin as the robbery suspect from a photo lineup.
Portalatin remains in federal custody awaiting sentencing scheduled in October. He faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia office’s Allentown Resident Agency and Cumru and Reading police detectives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rosalynda M. Michetti and Kelly Lewis Fallenstein. Michetti is a former assistant district attorney for Berks.
Source: Berkshire mont