May 28, 2015

Two Tulsa Men Plead Guilty to Robbery and Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

TULSA, OK—Billy Joe Laverty, 38, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to “Hobbs Act” robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, announced Danny C. Williams Sr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The Hobbs Act makes it illegal for anyone to commit, or attempt to commit, a commercial robbery, that is a robbery that affects interstate commerce.

Laverty and his co-defendant, Allen Wayne Smith, engaged in a series of robberies which began on January 17, 2015 and ended on January 19, 2015. Laverty and Smith carjacked a victim at gunpoint, attempted to rob a Domino’s Pizza in Tulsa, and robbed a convenience store in Jenks, Oklahoma. During the convenience store robbery, Laverty discharged a firearm.

Smith pleaded guilty on May 15, 2015, and will be sentenced on August 14, 2015. Laverty will be sentenced on August 28, 2015. Laverty and Smith face a maximum of 20 years in prison for the Hobbs Act robbery and life in prison for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. They also face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for discharging a firearm during the robbery. United States District Court Judge Claire V. Eagan will sentence both defendants.

This case was investigated by the Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Jenks Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Neal C. Hong and Jan S. Reincke prosecuted the case.