Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Ashan M. Benedict, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), and James P. O’Neill, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”), announced the arrest of MARIO POWELL for the armed robbery and shooting of a livery cab driver on March 17, 2018. POWELL was arrested on Friday, March 23, 2018, by the ATF and the NYPD, and was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox in Manhattan federal court on March 24, 2018.
According to the allegations in the Complaint:[1]
On March 17, 2018, POWELL called a livery cab in the Bronx, and directed the driver to a particular destination. After arriving at the drop-off location, POWELL threatened the driver with a gun and demanded cash. The driver handed over $23 in cash. POWELL exited the cab and then shot the driver seven times.
POWELL, 27, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of discharging a firearm during a Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the efforts of the ATF and NYPD in this case.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
