Armed felons sentenced for dual smoke shop robberies

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two Donna residents have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions of armed robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

On Jan. 27, Robert Jae Franco, 23, and Alejandro Isaiah Gonzalez, 22, robbed two Smoke Shops in Pharr and Donna at gunpoint.

Surveillance video from each location showed the masked and armed men entering the stores and rushing the store employees while demanding money from the registers.

Both men pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery on Oct. 18 and Nov. 8, 2024, respectively.

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton ordered both men to serve 4 years in federal prison, immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

At the sentencing, the court heard evidence that Franco had previously been convicted of aggravated assault and alien smuggling while Gonzalez had convictions for three separate burglary events.

"The Southern District of Texas is working around-the-clock to take repeat violent offenders off the streets," said Ganjei. "Thanks to the efforts of our law enforcement partners, we now have two less criminals out there terrorizing innocent citizens."