FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MONDAY - June 15, 2009

WILSON ARMED ROBBER PLEADS GUILTY TO

ROBBERY AND FIREARM CHARGES

RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court today BRYANT WILLIAM REED, 30, of Wilson, North Carolina pled guilty before United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, to conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951; use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A); and unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on September 18, 2008.

On August 10, 2007, Ali’s Convenient Mart in Wilson, North Carolina, was robbed. The robber entered the store and, while putting a gun to the store clerk’s neck, took money from the cash register drawer and then took the surveillance tape from the machine. The robber forced the store clerk into the bathroom and closed the door. The robber then fired one shot through the bathroom door before leaving the store. Also, on August 15, 2008, REED was found in possession of ammunition despite being a previously convicted felon.

Mr. Holding commented, “We applaud the work of the ATF and the Wilson Police Department in this case. A dangerous felon has been removed from our streets because of their work.”

The maximum penalty for conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery is up to 20 years imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. For the charge of use and carry of a firearm during a crime of violence, the maximum penalty is up to a term of life imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. For being a convicted felon with unlawful possession of a ammunition, the maximum penalty is up to 10 years imprisonment followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wilson Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney William Gilmore served as prosecutor for the government.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.