Fayetteville Man Sentenced For Hobbs Act Robbery & Carjacking

RALEIGH – United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced GREGORY JAMES BURGESS , 28, of Fayetteville to 168 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

BURGESS was named in an Indictment filed on April 13, 2013, charging him with six counts.  The Indictment charged Hobbs Act Robbery, brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, carjacking, using and carrying firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence, felon in possession of firearms, and possession of a stolen firearm.  On June 5, 2013, BURGESS pled guilty to the Hobbs Act Robbery, carjacking, and using and carrying firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence charges. 

According to the investigation, BURGESS and his co-conspirator, entered the Little Vegas Sweepstakes, an internet gaming business located in Fayetteville, which is now closed.  BURGESS and his co-conspirator forced two victims at gunpoint from one room into another.  BURGESS punched one victim in the face.  BURGESS pilfered though the office of Little Vegas Sweepstakes and the cash register.  He took $1,000 from the cash register, along with an employee’s wallet and $90 lying on the office desk.  BURGESS struck a customer in the back of the head with a firearm after the victim stated he didn’t know where the keys to his vehicle were located.  BURGESS pulled a video camera from the office ceiling and attempted to locate the surveillance tape.  BURGESS and his co-conspirator fled the scene in a truck that they stole from one of the victims inside the store.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative 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.

Ivestigation of this case was conducted by the Fayetteville Police Department, the Hope Mills Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).  Assistant United States Attorney S. Katherine Burnette prosecuted the case for the government.