A convicted felon from Kyle pleaded guilty in federal court in Austin on Tuesday to charges tied to three armed robberies and faces a mandatory minimum of 24 years behind bars. Prosecutors say the robberies — at a Subway restaurant and two 7-Eleven stores in June and July — involved threats with a .22‑caliber revolver, and that shots were fired during the Subway incident when a bystander tried to intervene. The plea was entered in U.S. District Court in Austin this week.
Kyle Felon Pleads Guilty to Multiple Armed Robberies in Austin, Faces 24 Years in Federal Prison@ATFHou @Austin_Police https://t.co/EoIueIIgQZ
— U.S. Attorney WDTX (@USAO_WDTX) November 6, 2025
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, 38-year-old Yael Williams Jr. admitted using a .22-caliber revolver during the three robberies and shot at two bystanders during the Subway robbery.
Williams pleaded guilty to one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "He faces a mandatory minimum of 24 years in prison," the office added, and a federal judge will set his final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The case first surfaced in September when federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging Williams with three Hobbs Act robberies and related weapons counts, as reported by Hoodline. That earlier coverage describes the same alleged robberies at a Subway and two 7-Eleven stores in Austin and notes the case drew federal attention because of the use of a firearm. Hoodline also noted that the Austin Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are investigating and that Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Buie is prosecuting the case.
A federal district court judge will determine Williams's sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, and no sentencing date has been announced, FOX 7 Austin noted. The station summarized the counts and reported that Williams has yet to be sentenced.
The plea marks a swift federal response to a summer string of robberies that unnerved workers at small food and convenience shops in Austin, and investigators with the Austin Police Department and the ATF continue to seek any additional evidence or witnesses, Hoodline reported. Prosecutors say more information may appear in filings ahead of sentencing.
