A federal jury in Memphis has convicted two men in a 2023 ambush that left a 67-year-old ATM technician beaten, shot and carjacked while he was servicing cash machines at convenience stores in north Memphis. After a five-day trial, the panel found Alvin Anthony, 31, and Royce Newsome, 33, guilty for targeting a lone worker on a routine cash pickup.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee, jurors convicted the pair of conspiracy to commit carjacking, aiding and abetting carjacking, and aiding and abetting the use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. The ambush happened on May 17, 2023, and the verdicts came back on Friday, June 12, 2026, after the weeklong trial. Prosecutors said the convictions mean both men are now looking at serious federal prison time for the attack.
How the Ambush Unfolded
Evidence at trial showed Anthony followed the technician to three convenience stores before Newsome and others moved in at the third stop and ambushed the worker as he headed back to his car. Investigators reviewed surveillance video that showed a red Honda and a black Nissan circling the area, and officers later recovered the stolen vehicle along with a safe that held roughly $120,000. One of the locations tied to the case was the Save Market at 1948 Oakwood Street in north Memphis, as reported by Action News 5.
Sentencing and Punishment
Prosecutors said Anthony and Newsome each face a maximum of 15 years on the conspiracy and carjacking counts, while Newsome also faces an additional 10-year mandatory minimum, to be served consecutively, for the firearm charge. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris will decide the final punishment after weighing the federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, and the Justice Department pointed out that there is no parole in the federal system. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant called the defendants' conduct "senseless," and ATF Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet praised the investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
Investigation and Next Steps
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Memphis Police Department handled the investigation, and federal prosecutors tried the case in Memphis federal court. Court records show jury selection was set in early June before Judge Norris, and the trial wrapped up after five days. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. The matter appears under docket number 225cr20013 on the district's calendar, according to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
Legal Note
In federal court, sentences are shaped by statutory maximums, mandatory minimums for firearm offenses, and the advisory guidelines of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which judges consult when deciding penalties. The Commission's primers spell out how offense levels and criminal history categories combine to produce an advisory range that the court considers at sentencing. Victims' advocates and law enforcement officials said the guilty verdicts underscore continuing federal attention on violent attacks against cash-handling workers.
