LAS VEGAS, Nev.– A Las Vegas man who robbed a convenience store, two liquor stores, a payday loan company, and an electronics retailer in the Las Vegas area during the summer of 2014, was sentenced today to 1,354 months or over 112 years in prison and five years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden for the District of Nevada.
Dominique Wells, 29, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan. Wells was convicted by a jury in April of five counts of interference with commerce by robbery, two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, and five counts of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Two co-defendants, Christopher Dobbins, 28, and Andre Hall, 27, pleaded guilty in 2015. Dobbins was sentenced on July 13 to four years in prison, and Hall is awaiting sentencing.
“The prosecution of persons who commit violent robberies of commercial establishments with guns in southern Nevada is a top priority of our violent crime program,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “The defendants who are prosecuted federally for these robberies are typically recidivist felons who are using firearms to terrorize our community. Like in this case, the consequences of conviction for these repeat, violent offenders are severe.”
According to court records and trial testimony, on June 15, 2014, Wells robbed a convenience store in Henderson using a handgun and wearing a black mask and gloves, black t-shirt and camouflage shorts. Four days later, on June 19, 2014, Wells robbed a liquor store in Las Vegas using a handgun with a laser sight, and wearing camouflage shorts, a black t-shirt, and a black face mask/ski mask. Two days after that, on June 21, 2014, Wells robbed a liquor store on the Boulder Highway in Las Vegas using a black handgun with a laser sight and wearing camouflage shorts, a black t-shirt and a black face mask/ski mask. On June 26, 2014, Wells robbed a payday loan store in Henderson using a black handgun with a laser sight. Wells and a co-defendant used duct tape to tie up three individuals inside the payday loan store. On July 3, 2014, Wells robbed an electronics retailer in Henderson using a black handgun. Wells and a co-defendant used zip ties to tie up the employees in that robbery. Wells obtained on average only $100 to $250 in each robbery.
Over the last five years, 94 persons have been charged federally with using firearms to commit commercial robberies in southern Nevada. Following are links to the news releases for some of those cases.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/las-vegas-cinched-hoodie-robber-sentenced-life-prison
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/man-sentenced-over-14-years-prison-six-armed-robberies
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/last-30-minutes-or-less-robbers-gets-16-years-prison
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/man-who-robbed-las-vegas-mini-mart-convicted-jury
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the Henderson Police Department, as part of the Safe Streets Task Force and Project Safe Neighborhoods program.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip N. Smith, Jr. and Lisa Cartier-Giroux.