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Press Release

Albemarle County Home Invaders Sentenced in Hobbs Act Robbery

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia
Gray and Williams to Serve More Than Four Years in Prison

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A man from Albemarle County, and another from South Carolina, who broke into a private Albemarle County home while armed in October 2021, were sentenced yesterday to federal prison terms.

Traevon Gray, 21, and Damon Williams, 23, pled guilty in November 2022 to one count each of Hobbs Act Robbery. Each received a sentence yesterday of 51 months in federal prison.

“The Department of Justice will continue to use every tool possible to address violent crime in our communities,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “This outcome proves that those individuals who use firearms to harm others will be held accountable in federal court.”

“Addressing violent crime is a priority for the FBI. These sentencings reflect the Bureau’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold those responsible accountable,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Division.

According to court documents, Gray and Williams used firearms when they broke into the Albemarle County home through a backdoor and forced the victim from his upstairs bedroom into the kitchen where they ordered him to lie face-down on the floor.

After stealing approximately two pounds of marijuana, several thousand dollars, a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and other valuables, the assailants bound the victim’s hands with tape, punched him in the face, and pushed him into the kitchen pantry.

After the robbery, Gray and Williams fled to Spartanburg, South Carolina where they divided up the robbery proceeds.

The FBI Richmond's Safe Streets Task Force and the Albemarle County Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather L. Carlton prosecuted the case for the United States.

Updated March 7, 2023

Topic
Violent Crime