Two New York men were sentenced to prison today for participating in armed robberies of electronics stores in New Jersey, including armed robberies in Linden, Paramus, and Woodbridge, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Eric Williams, 34, and Sulayman Graham, 32, both of Brooklyn, New York, were sentenced to 151 and 63 months in prison, respectively. Williams and Graham previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to separate informations charging them with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies. U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson imposed both sentences today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Sept. 20, 2012, Carl Williams, 31, of Brooklyn, and Leonard Arrington, 28, of Roslyn Heights, New York, walked into a T-Mobile store in Linden brandishing a firearm, while Eric Williams and other conspirators—including Kajaun Crawley, 28, and Terrell McQueen, 31, both of Brooklyn—served as lookouts and get-away drivers. Carl Williams and Arrington then tied up the employees in the back of the store, stole 50 to 60 cell phones and fled in a Land Rover. Eric Williams and other conspirators then delivered the stolen phones to a cell phone store in Brooklyn.
On Oct. 2, 2012, Arrington entered a T-Mobile store in Woodbridge, brandishing a firearm, along with another man, while Graham and McQueen waited outside as lookouts and get-away drivers. After locking the front door, the men took the employees to the back of the store and tied them up, then stole approximately 40 cell phones. One of the robbers then called Graham, who drove them away in a Land Rover. Eric Williams and others delivered the stolen phones to the same Brooklyn store.
Eric Williams participated in the planning of a subsequent robbery of an electronics store in Paramus, which took place on Jan. 16, 2013. Unique Randolph, 28, of Brooklyn, and another individual entered an electronics store and, after forcing employees and a customer into the back of the store, Randolph tied them up using zip-ties, while his conspirator held them at gunpoint. As Randolph and his conspirator were looting the store of cell phones, a UPS employee walked into the backroom. Randolph forced him onto the ground and used zip-ties to restrain him. Randolph and his conspirator then fled, along with Carl Williams who was waiting outside as a lookout.
In addition to the prison terms, Judge Thompson sentenced Williams and Graham to each serve three years of supervised release.