Joel Meeks, Robbery, Carjacking, Firearms, New Mexico 2014

Albuquerque Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Robbery, Carjacking, and Firearms Charges

ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his conviction on robbery, carjacking, and firearms charges. Joel Meeks, 21, was also ordered to be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Meeks and his co-defendant, Raul Ortega, 22, were arrested in April 2013, on an eight-count indictment charging them with offenses stemming from a series of armed robberies of commercial businesses and home invasions, including armed robbery and carjacking, occurring in Bernalillo County, N.M., from Dec. 6, 2012 to Jan. 17, 2013. Meeks will be required to pay $2,482.04 in restitution to the victims of his criminal conduct.

According to court filings, Meeks robbed a business called “Up in Smoke” at gunpoint on Dec. 6, 2012. He also robbed a business called “PDQ” at gunpoint on Dec. 7, 2012, and discharged his firearm while committing the crime. Meeks and Ortega jointly committed two carjackings on Jan. 13, 2013 and Jan. 17, 2013, and brandished firearms while committing those crimes.

On April 1, 2014, Meeks entered guilty pleas to Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment, which charged him with robbing the PDQ store on Dec. 7, 2012, and with discharging a firearm while robbing the store. He also pled guilty to Counts 5 and 7, which charged him with the Jan. 13, 2013 carjacking and Jan. 17, 2013 carjacking, respectively. Ortega was previously sentenced to 18 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

The case was brought as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from our communities for as long as possible.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department, with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon K. Stanford.

Defendant: Joel Meeks

Charges: Robbery, Carjacking, Firearms

City and State: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Date: April 2013 (arrest), April 2014 (sentencing)

Sentence: 20 years in prison, 3 years supervised release

Restitution: $2,482.04

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