The justice department has brought federal charges against a local man, 63-year-old Royal Benjamin, in connection with the armed robbery of the JP Wireless Store in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts earlier this year. This development comes after law enforcement efforts led to the identification of Benjamin as a positive match for fingerprints found on a dropped cash register drawer at the scene of the crime, according to the justice department.
Benjamin faces one count of Hobbs Act robbery and currently remains in state custody, pending his appearance in the federal court in Boston. If convicted, he could face a jail sentence that would last up to 20 years, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The incident in question took place on the evening of March 20, when a male suspect, believed to be Benjamin, allegedly entered the JP Wireless Store wielding a black revolver, as per the charging documents. The suspect, described as a Black male approximately six feet in height with a black ski mask, grey hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans, and black-and-white sneakers, removed the cash register drawer but dropped it on the floor while fleeing the scene.
The subsequent investigation into this armed robbery resulted in collaboration between various law enforcement agencies. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Police Department, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, and the Boston and Cambridge Police Departments all lent their support to the investigation, led by Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, and Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of the Major Crimes Unit is set to prosecute the case.
