Bronx Man Convicted Of Robberies And Firearms Offense

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction in Manhattan federal court of JAMES KELLY for robbing two delis in the Bronx, New York, on October 10, 2021 and January 15, 2023, and brandishing a firearm in connection with the 2023 robbery.  The jury convicted KELLY today following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “James Kelly used a firearm to intimidate and threaten the lives of working New Yorkers, all to steal money from their delis. Today, a unanimous jury of his peers held Kelly accountable for his crimes.  We thank our law enforcement partners for their relentless pursuit of justice for the victims and the public."

According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence presented during trial and court proceedings:

On October 10, 2021, KELLY entered a deli in the Bronx with his hands in his pocket, purporting to have a gun.  He got close to a deli employee working alone in the store, threatened to shoot him, and demanded cash and marijuana.  After the deli employee gave KELLY cash, KELLY ordered the deli employee to get down on the ground and said that if the employee moved, he would “shoot the shit” out of the employee.  Fifteen months later, on January 15, 2023, KELLY robbed another deli in the Bronx, pointed a gun at two deli employees, again demanded cash and threatened to shoot them, and again ordered them to get on the ground.

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KELLY, 32, of the Bronx, New York, was convicted of two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of the use, carrying, and possession of a firearm, which was brandished, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The statutory minimum and maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.  KELLY is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Woods on January 14, 2025.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department’s Bronx Violent Crimes Squad and the investigators of the Office.

This case is being supervised by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Connie L. Dang, Adam Z. Margulies, Georgia V. Kostopoulos, Katherine Cheng, and David R. Felton are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Olivia Sebade.