Danville Man Charged With Six Armed Robberies as Part of Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative to Reduce Violent Crime in the Western District of Virginia

Danville, VIRGINIA – A federal grand jury has charged a Danville man with committing numerous armed robberies of businesses in Danville, Bedford, and Rocky Mount. The 14-count indictment is part of the Western District of Virginia’s ongoing Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative to reduce violent crime. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

Justin Lee Stallings, 33, is charged with six counts of Hobbs Act robbery, six counts of using a firearm in commission of a Hobbs Act robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of being a previously convicted felon illegally in possession of a firearm.

“This indictment demonstrates our renewed commitment to working with our state and local partners to target individuals who commit violent acts in our communities,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today. “We will continue to work closely with our partners at the FBI, the Danville Police Department and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, to make Danville a safer community.”

“The message should be clear by now; the Commonwealth of Virginia and its law enforcement network is fully committed to eliminating violent crime in our communities.  If you try it here, we will find you and we will stop you,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, Adam S. Lee said today. “I want to thank United States Attorney Thomas Cullen and his team for their continued outstanding work and our partners in Danville who are working to restore their great community.”                                                                                                         

The superseding indictment alleges that Stallings committed six armed, Hobbs Act robberies between December of 2016 and February of 2017. Specifically, the superseding indictment charges Stallings with using a firearm to commit Hobbs Act robberies at each of the following businesses while engaged in interstate commerce: Dollar General located on South Main Street in Danville, Va., on December 8, 2016; Dollar General located on Westover Drive in Danville, Va. on January 8, 2017; KFC located on Memorial Drive in Danville, Va., on January 11, 2017; Charles’s Stop N Shop located on Westover Drive in Danville, Va., on January 20, 2017; Dollar General located on Blue Ridge Avenue in Bedford, Va., on February 5, 2017; Dollar General located on Pell Avenue in Rocky Mount, Va., on February 6, 2017.

During each robbery, Stallings is accused of brandishing a firearm, pointing it at the employees of the various businesses, and demanding cash and/or other goods from the cash register or store safe. 

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Danville Police Department, the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Caswell County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office, the Bedford Police Department, and the Rocky Mount Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald M. Huber and Christopher Kavanaugh and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Swartz will prosecute the case for the United States.

A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal program designed to bring 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 each community’s most violent criminals.  Attorney General Sessions directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as the local civilian community, to develop effective, targeted strategies to reduce violent crime.  This case is a product of that collaborative effort.