Jefferson County man sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for armed robbery spree

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Port Arthur man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

Jahmir Jacobi Riley, 19, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and was sentenced to 216 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on March 31, 2025.

According to court documents, an investigation determined Riley was responsible for convenience store robberies in Jefferson County in the fall of 2024.  On September 24, 2024, the Checkpoint gas station on Gulfway Drive in Port Arthur was robbed and the clerk was pistol-whipped.  On September 29, 2024, the Exxpress Mart gas station on Interstate-10 South in Beaumont was robbed and on October 3, 2024, the Hamshire Quick Mart gas station on Hwy 73 was also robbed.  Riley was identified through witnesses and surveillance video as the suspect.  Riley can be seen on one surveillance video brandishing a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device, also known as a glock switch.  Riley was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 4, 2024.

This case was sentenced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Beaumont Police Department; the Port Arthur Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Quinn.

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