Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Hobbs Act Robberies and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

ALBUQUERQUE – Alfonso Lezine, 40, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon to 15 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for robbing four Albuquerque-area businesses and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales, Thomas G. Atteberry, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Ray Schultz of the Albuquerque Police Department.

Lezine was arrested in Aug. 2012, on a six-count indictment charging him with four counts of violating the Hobbs Act by robbing businesses engaged in interstate commerce; one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence; and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The indictment alleged that Lezine committed four commercial robberies in Albuquerque between Oct. 2011 and March 2012.

On April 16, 2013, Lezine pleaded guilty to Counts 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the indictment, each of which charged him with a Hobbs Act robbery, and Count 6, which charged him with unlawful possession of a firearm.  In entering his guilty plea, Lezine admitted robbing the following Albuquerque businesses:  (1) the Family Dollar, located at 2001 2nd Street NW, on Oct. 15, 2011; (2) the same Family Dollar on March 6, 2012; (3) the Allied Cash Advance, located at 3821 Menaul NE, on March 20, 2012; and (4) the Family Dollar, located at 9550 Sage Road SW, on March 14, 2012.  Lezine also admitted that he unlawfully possessed a firearm on March 20, 2012.  According to court records, Lezine was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because he previously had been convicted of residential burglary and a Hobbs Act robbery and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence in California.
          
This case was brought as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this anti-violence initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department, with assistance from the District Attorney’s Office for the Second Judicial District of the State of New Mexico, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon K. Stanford.