Three Peoria Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Armed Robbery of a Confidential Informant

PEORIA, Ill. – Three Peoria men were sentenced this week for robbing a confidential informant of $1,200 at gunpoint during a federal firearms investigation in May 2023.

Hunter Coombs, 24, of the 1600 block of North Delaware Street in Peoria, Illinois pleaded guilty to robbery of currency of the United States in October 2023 and was sentenced on June 3, 2024, to 46 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Germaine R. Hill, Jr., 26, of the 2700 block of West Rohmann Avenue, West Peoria, Illinois pleaded guilty in November 2023 to robbery of currency of the United States and was sentenced on June 5, 2024, to 46 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Rashon J. Miller, 25, of the 500 block of Vine Street, Peoria, Illinois pleaded guilty in December 2023 to robbery of currency of the United States and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Miller was sentenced on June 5, 2024, to a total of 84 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearings before U.S. District Judge Joe B. McDade, the government established that Hill, Miller, and Coombs acted together to rob a government informant at gunpoint.  Hill told the victim that he had a handgun for sale that was equipped with an auto-sear, enabling it to fire as a fully automatic machinegun. Coombs drove Hill and Miller to meet with the buyer.  Instead of selling a machinegun, Miller pointed a loaded gun at the victim and took the $1,200 purchase money.  After the robbery, members of the Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force apprehended all three men, recovered the stolen money, and recovered two loaded semi-automatic firearms from the passenger compartment of the getaway car.  All three men admitted that they discussed and planned the robbery prior to meeting with the informant.

A complaint was filed in federal court in early June 2023 against all three defendants, followed by an indictment a few weeks later in June 2023. All defendants have been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since May 2023.

The statutory penalties for robbery of money of the United States is not more than 25 years’ imprisonment, with a possible $250,000 fine. Use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a sentence of seven years to life imprisonment, to be served consecutively to the sentence for the violent crime. Each count carries up to five years of supervised release following imprisonment.

The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.