James Houston, Hobbs Act Robbery, New York 2023

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Rochester Man Sentenced for Cell Phone Store Robbery

A Rochester man has been sentenced to 84 months in prison for planning and facilitating a cell phone store robbery in Irondequoit, New York.

James A. Houston, also known as Hood, was convicted of Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. On December 3, 2019, Houston and his co-defendants, including Troy L. McCullough and Raekwon D. Fuqua, robbed the AT&T store on E. Ridge Road in Irondequoit.

McCullough entered the store wearing a mask and gloves and brandishing a firearm at a store employee, ordering the employee to open the store safe. McCullough and co-defendant Fuqua then stole approximately 32 cellular phones from the safe and left the store. The telephones were valued at approximately $32,344.

Houston planned the robbery, enlisted others to participate, made arrangements to sell the stolen cell phones, and conducted surveillance outside the store before and during the robbery. The stolen cell phones were recovered at a residence on Champlain Street in Rochester.

McCullough and Fuqua were previously convicted and sentenced to serve 262 months and 64 months in prison respectively.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Rochester Police Department, and the Irondequoit Police Department.

Houston’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the consequences of committing violent crimes. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.

In related news, McCullough and Fuqua’s previous convictions and sentences were a result of their involvement in the same robbery.