A Roslyn Heights man was arrested near his home last Tuesday in connection with the armed robberies of 100 cell phones from T-Mobile stores in Linden and Woodbridge, N.J. late last year, U.S. attorney Paul J. Fishman’s said in a press release.
Leonard Arrington, 27, is among four suspects who were indicted on single counts of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies, one count of committing a Hobbs Act robbery and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Terrell McQueen, 29, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Carl Williams, 29, and Eric Williams, 32 – both from Brooklyn but of no relation – were arrested and charged Feb. 13 for the Sept. 20, 2012 robbery of 50 to 60 cell phones from a T-Mobile store in Linden, N.J.
Fishman’s office said they the men delivered the stolen phones to a cell phone store in Brooklyn.
Two weeks later, Arrington allegedly entered a T-Mobile in Woodbridge with another man, locked the door, tied up the store’s employees in the back of the store and stole 40 cell phones. One of the robbers then called a getaway driver, Fishman’s said, and the men were picked up in a Land Rover.
McQueen, Eric Williams and others then allegedly delivered the stolen phones – which the Star-Ledger reported were Samgsung Galaxy smartphones valued at approximately $24,000 – to the same Brooklyn store.
McQueen also faces an additional count of Hobbs Act robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence, Fishman said.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Web site, the Hobbs Act was passed in 1946 as an amendment to the 1934 Anti-Racketeering Act, to target organized crime activities. In recent years, the Hobbs Act has been used against armed robbers victimizing businesses.
If convicted of conspiracy and robbery, Arrington faces a potential penalty of 20 years in prison.
A conviction of brandishing a firearm carries a minimum seven-year sentence and a maximum life sentence. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000, Fishman’s office said.
