Bronx Man Convicted Of Robbery And Shooting Of Taxi Driver

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction in Manhattan federal court of MARIO POWELL for the armed robbery and shooting of a cab driver in the Bronx on March 17, 2018.  The jury convicted POWELL following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Over five years ago, Mario Powell robbed and brutally shot an innocent driver of a taxi, running away into the night and leaving the victim to die.  Yesterday, a jury of his peers held Powell accountable for this heinous crime.  We thank our partners in the NYPD and in the SPARTA NYPD/ATF Joint Robbery Task Force for their unwavering pursuit of justice for this victim and the public.  This Office will pursue violent criminals who commit firearms offenses on the streets of New York City with unceasing vigor and determination.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence presented during the trial:

On March 17, 2018, POWELL took a cab from one neighborhood in the Bronx to another.  Upon reaching his requested destination, POWELL robbed the cab driver at gunpoint, obtained $23 from the cab driver, and shot the cab driver nine times.  POWELL fled the scene and was subsequently arrested on March 23, 2018.

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POWELL, 33, of the Bronx, New York, was convicted of one count of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of the use, carrying, and possession of a firearm, which was brandished and discharged, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The statutory minimum and maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.  POWELL is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on October 3, 2023.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) and the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), in particular, the Strategic Patterned Armed Robbery Technical Apprehension (“SPARTA”) Task Force, which is composed of agents and officers of the ATF and the NYPD.

This case is being supervised by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas John Wright, Chelsea L. Scism, and Emily A. Johnson are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Chanel-Ashley Foster and Mia Vuckovich.