Newark Man Pleads Guilty To 17 Armed Robberies, An Armed Carjacking, And A Shooting

NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark, N.J. man today admitted committing 17 armed robberies of commercial establishments throughout Union, Essex, and Bergen counties, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Bobby Dawson, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to a three-count Information charging him with committing an armed carjacking, conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robberies and discharging a firearm during the commission of one of those robberies.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Dawson conspired with others to rob commercial establishments as follows:

Dawson and his conspirators robbed each of these establishments at gunpoint, stealing cash, cigarettes, and other items. In 15 of the 17 robberies, Dawson and his conspirators used zip ties or duct tape to restrain their victims.

In the MS&K robbery on April 1, 2013, Dawson threatened the clerk of the store with a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun. When the clerk resisted, Dawson fired his gun at the clerk, ordered the clerk to lie down and then stole $9,000 from the cash register.

In the robbery of Krauszers in West Orange on April 24, 2013, Dawson and his conspirator tied up three individuals in the store with zip-ties before stealing approximately $600 and several cartons of cigarettes. Dawson injured a store employee by hitting the victim in the head with his firearm.

The armed carjacking to which Dawson pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. The Hobbs Act conspiracy to which Dawson pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other prison term. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss arising out of the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for March 11, 2014.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Belleville, Bloomfield, Kearny, Linden, Maplewood, Newark, Paramus, Verona and West Orange police departments, along with the N.J. State Police and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for their work on this case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamari Buxton and Rahul Agarwal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

13-449                                  

Defense Counsel: Candace Hom Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark

Dawson Information