A Port Arthur resident, Jahmir Jacobi Riley, has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to Hobbs Act robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The sentence, announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr., was handed down by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on March 31, 2025.
Riley, aged 19, was linked to a series of convenience store robberies in Jefferson County in late 2024. The incidents include a robbery at the Checkpoint gas station on Gulfway Drive in Port Arthur on September 24, where the store clerk was assaulted, followed by robberies at Exxpress Mart gas station in Beaumont on September 29, and Hamshire Quick Mart on Hwy 73 on October 3. Witness statements and surveillance footage identified Riley as the suspect. Surveillance video showed him carrying a firearm with a machinegun conversion device, also known as a glock switch.
Riley's indictment by a federal grand jury occurred on December 4, 2024. His sentencing forms part of Operation Take Back America. This initiative aims to counter illegal immigration and eliminate criminal organizations, focusing resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The case was investigated by several law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Beaumont Police Department; the Port Arthur Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Quinn prosecuted the case.
