Two California Men Sentenced To 13 Years In Prison For Armed Robbery Of Reno Convenience Store On Black Friday

RENO, Nev. – Two Sonoma County residents were each sentenced today to 154 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for robbing a Reno convenience store at gunpoint on Black Friday in 2016, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.

In March, a jury found Connor Timothy Woods, 28, and Michael Miller, 31, both of Santa Rosa, California, guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery, and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. United States District Judge Howard D. McKibben presided over the jury trial and sentencing hearing.

According to court documents, on November 25, 2016, Woods entered a 7-11 located at 6150 South McCarran Boulevard, pointed a semi-automatic handgun at a store clerk, and demanded money from the cash register and the slots register drawers. When the clerk went to grab the slots register drawer, he saw Woods had put the gun down on the counter. The clerk attempted to grab the gun and they began to struggle. The gun fell to the floor and the clerk threw the cash drawer at Woods. Woods left the store and fled the scene in a mini-van driven by Miller. They stole approximately $100.

A few days later, a Reno Police Department detective found the get-away vehicle parked on the side of I-80 and the vehicle was towed to the police station. Law enforcement was able to identify Woods as a robbery suspect based on evidence discovered in the mini-van and from the surveillance videos. In an interview with the detective, Woods stated, “I admit to the 7-11 robbery. I admit to it, there that’s all you need.”

The investigation was conducted by the Reno Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Rachow and James E. Keller.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. For more information about PSN, visit www.justice.gov/usao-nv.

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