LAS VEGAS, NV—A Las Vegas man who robbed 13 convenience stores and a small casino in the Las Vegas area during 2013, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro to multiple life terms in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden for the District of Nevada.

Abdul Howard, 49, was convicted by a jury last June of one count of felon in possession of a firearm, 14 counts of interference with commerce by robbery, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence. A number of the life terms were ordered to be served consecutively. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This defendant, who has a lengthy criminal history, terrorized convenience store employees in Las Vegas over a four month period during 2013, and it is fortunate that no one was killed,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “With his federal sentence of life in prison, Mr. Howard’s violent crime reign on Nevada streets and in our community is now over and done.”

Howard robbed 13 convenience stores and one casino in the Las Vegas area between January 15 and April 16, 2013. Howard robbed most of the businesses late at night using a semi-automatic handgun which he used to threatened store employees and some customers. In some of the robberies, Howard pointed the handgun at an employee or stuck a gun into the employee’s body or head. In one instance, Howard fired a handgun at an employee, and in another, Howard shot an employee in the neck. Investigators dubbed Howard the “Cinched Hoodie Robber,” because he typically entered the businesses wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood “cinched” up around his face in an effort to conceal his identity.

Howard has at least five prior felony convictions in New York, Florida, and Nevada related to robbery, burglary, cocaine distribution and sexually motivated coercion.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and North Las Vegas Police Department, as part of the Safe Streets Task Force and Project Safe Neighborhoods program, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip N. Smith, Jr. and Cristina D. Silva.