Essex County, N.J., Man Sentenced To Nearly 19 Years In Prison For 17 Armed Robberies, Armed Carjacking, And Shooting

NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark man was sentenced today To 225 months in prison for committing 17 armed robberies of commercial establishments throughout Union, Essex and Bergen counties, all within a six-month period, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Bobby Dawson, 31, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to an information charging him with one count of committing an armed carjacking, one count of conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robberies and one count of discharging a firearm during the commission of one of those robberies. Judge Walls imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Dawson conspired with others to rob commercial establishments as follows:

Pao Da Terra	Newark	Dec. 29, 2012
Newark	Jan. 20, 2013
Newark Community Pharmacy	Newark	Jan. 24, 2013
Linden Stationary	Linden	Feb. 1, 2013
Delta Gas Station	Newark	Feb. 1, 2013
Shoppers Express	Belleville	Feb. 2, 2013
Krauszers	Kearny	Feb. 10, 2013
Krauszers	Bloomfield	Feb. 13, 2013
Pat’s Deli	Newark	Feb. 19, 2013
Smashburger	Paramus	March 16, 2013
Krauszers	Bloomfield	March 29, 2013
MS&K Confectionery	Maplewood	April 1, 2013
Belleville News and Food	Belleville	April 17, 2013
South Wood Discount Liquor	Linden	April 17, 2013
Krauszers	West Orange	April 24, 2013
Newark Community Pharmacy	Newark	May 1, 2013
Subway Restaurant	Verona	May 20, 2013

Dawson and his conspirators robbed each of these establishments at gunpoint, stealing cash, cigarettes and other items. In 15 of the 17 robberies, Dawson and his conspirators used zip-ties or duct tape to restrain their victims.

In the MS&K robbery on April 1, 2013, Dawson threatened the clerk of the store with a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun. When the clerk resisted, Dawson fired his gun at the clerk, ordered the clerk to lie down and then stole $9,000 from the cash register.

In the robbery of Krauszers in West Orange on April 24, 2013, Dawson and a conspirator tied up three individuals in the store with zip-ties before stealing approximately $600 and several cartons of cigarettes. Dawson injured a store employee by hitting the victim in the head with his firearm.

On Jan. 1, 2013, Dawson and others agreed to steal a Mitsubishi Gallant parked on Underwood Street in Newark. Before driving away with the car, Dawson and his conspirators brandished multiple firearms to subdue the driver, with one conspirator using his firearm to strike the driver in the head.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Walls sentenced Dawson to serve three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $72,518 in restitution. 

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked the Belleville, Bloomfield, Kearny, Linden, Maplewood, Newark, Paramus, Verona and West Orange police departments, along with the New Jersey State Police and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, for their work on this case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamari Buxton and Rahul Agarwal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Assistant Federal Public Defender Candace Hom Esq., Newark