Man Charged with March 2023 Armed Robbery

BOSTON – A local man has been charged in federal court in Boston in connection with the March 20, 2023 armed robbery of the JP Wireless store in Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Royal Benjamin, 63, was charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery. Benjamin currently is in state custody on related charges and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to charging documents, on the evening of March 20, 2023, a Black male approximately six feet in height, wearing a black ski mask, grey hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans and black-and-white sneakers entered the JP Wireless Store in Jamaica Plain brandishing a black revolver. The suspect allegedly removed the cash register drawer with his bare hands, but dropped the drawer on the floor before fleeing the scene. It is alleged that Benjamin was identified as a positive match for fingerprints retrieved from the cash register drawer.  

The charge of Hobbs Act robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Police Department; the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; and the Boston and Cambridge Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. 

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.