A South Los Angeles man is due in federal court Friday to learn his fate in a brazen Valentine’s Day armored-truck heist that left an armored-vehicle driver shaken and about $166,640 missing, prosecutors say. Jurors convicted Deneyvous Hobson in November 2024 of conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery, and related firearms offenses tied to a Hawthorne ambush where, according to prosecutors, the crew forced the driver to the ground at gunpoint, grabbed bags of cash and checks, and a firearm was discharged as they fled.
According to MyNewsLA, Hobson, 39, of the West Adams neighborhood, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in federal court. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Hobson was found guilty in November 2024 of one count each of conspiracy, interference with commerce by robbery (the Hobbs Act), using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Prosecutors note he faces a statutory maximum that could include life in federal prison.
How prosecutors say the heist unfolded
Prosecutors told jurors that Hobson and co-defendant James Russell Davis cased a Wescom Credit Union in Hawthorne about three weeks before the Feb. 14, 2022, ambush of the armored-truck driver, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Surveillance video and testimony highlighted a star tattoo prosecutors said linked Hobson to the scene, and reporting shows the group walked away with roughly $166,640 in cash and customer checks while one co-conspirator fired a 9mm as they fled, according to Law&Crime.
Co-defendant's sentence and legal stakes
James Russell Davis, identified in filings as Hobson’s co-defendant and half-brother, pleaded guilty in February 2024 and was later sentenced to 166 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $166,640 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Court documents and trial evidence also show Hobson illegally possessed a 9mm pistol and 12 rounds of ammunition in October 2022 and attempted to sell a 9mm the day after the Hawthorne robbery, details prosecutors emphasized as they urged a stiff sentence. Federal officials say the case was prosecuted as part of an Operation Safe Cities initiative targeting violent, repeat offenders across the region.
Court records list the matter under case number LA CR23-00102-FLA in the Central District of California, and the docket and prior press releases map a multi-site federal probe into armored-car robberies across L.A. County. For the sentencing schedule and more background, see the Central District of California and reporting from MyNewsLA.
