Bobby Dawson, Armed Robbery, New Jersey 2013

An Essex County man has been charged in connection with the armed robbery of a Belleville convenience store, authorities announced.

Bobby Dawson, 43, of East Orange, N.J., is charged with one count of committing a Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a Complaint unsealed by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

The incident occurred on April 17, 2013, at the Belleville News and Food store, where Dawson allegedly entered wearing a mask and brandished a firearm. He demanded money from the cash registers and ordered the store clerk not to move or he would shoot.

The Hobbs Act robbery charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, while the weapons charge is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, which must run consecutively to any other prison term.

Dawson is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark this afternoon. He faces a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest. He also thanked the Belleville, Bloomfield, Kearny, Maplewood, Newark, Paramus, and Verona police departments, along with the N.J. State Police and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance.

The charge and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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