Three men convicted for string of six armed robberies

ATLANTA - Tyvonne Wiley, Tevin Mitchell, and Torey Starling have been sentenced for committing a series of five armed robberies at retail stores in the metro-Atlanta area in the fall of 2016.  Wiley and Mitchell committed an armed robbery in Texas before traveling to Atlanta.  

“Innocent store clerks and customers were terrorized and lives were endangered by Wiley, Mitchell, and Starling during these armed robberies,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine.  “The violent acts committed by these defendants ended as a result of the collective efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners.”

“The arrest and conviction of this violent multi state robbing crew would not have been possible without the efforts of the Cobb County Police Department and our other local partners,” said ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brent Quinn.  “We are pleased that these violent criminals will be off the streets and in federal prison for the foreseeable future.”

“The Cobb County Police Department remains steadfast in our commitment to keeping our community safe. We are proud of our continued partnership with other local, state, and federal agencies to help us in that regard. This case is another example of the dedication of law enforcement officers and prosecutors to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those criminals who would seek to victimize the public at large,” said Interim Chief O.S. Hamilton, Cobb County Police Department.

According to U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: In September and October of 2016, Wiley, Mitchell, and Starling committed a string of violent armed robberies in Oklahoma, Texas, and then Fulton and Cobb Counties in the metro-Atlanta area. 

Wiley, sometimes accompanied by Mitchell, charged into retail stores with a loaded gun, ordered everyone to lie flat on the ground, and forced the store clerks to empty the registers into a bag while holding a gun to their heads.  Wiley pointed a gun at employees during each robbery and threatened to shoot and kill multiple people.  Starling served as the getaway driver during two of the robberies.

Mitchell, Wiley, and Starling were eventually captured on October 28, 2016 at Starling’s house in Marietta, Georgia.  When Cobb County Police searched the house, they recovered two firearms and two masks used during multiple robberies, as well as some of the cash that the defendants had stolen at gunpoint.  

U.S. District Judge Leigh M. May sentenced each of the defendants to the following:

• Tyvonne Wiley, 25, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced on January 5, 2022, to 35 years and one day of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $13,330.29, in restitution to the businesses he robbed.  Wiley was convicted by a jury on May 5, 2021 of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, five counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and five counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.   

• Tevin Mitchell, 27, of Enid, Oklahoma, was sentenced on February 3, 2020 to 11 years, three months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $13,330 in restitution.  Mitchell pled guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

• Torey Starling, 28, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced on June 11, 2021 to six years of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution.  Starling pled guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annalise K. Peters, Ryan K. Buchanan, and Stephanie Gabay-Smith prosecuted the case.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cobb County Police Department, the Marietta Police Department, the Atlanta Police Department, the Sandy Springs Police Department, and the Dallas, Texas Police Department investigated this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.