Oreall Ruffin, Interference with Commerce by Robbery, Louisiana 2019

BATON ROUGE, LA – Oreall Ruffin, a 25-year-old Baton Rouge man, will spend the next 17 years in federal prison after being sentenced for a brazen spree of armed robberies that terrorized local Dollar General and Family Dollar stores in November 2019. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles handed down the 205-month sentence Monday, following Ruffin’s convictions on charges of interference with commerce by robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

The crime wave began November 17th, when Ruffin, along with three masked and armed accomplices, stormed the Dollar General at 4755 Prescott Drive. All four robbers brandished handguns, immediately escalating the threat. Ruffin specifically targeted a Dollar General cashier, pointing his weapon directly at the employee before vaulting over the counter and forcibly taking approximately $7,000 from the store’s safe. The entire operation was conducted with Dollar General employees present, held against their will.

Just four days later, on November 21st, Ruffin and his crew targeted another Dollar General, this time located at 6365 Scenic Hwy. Approaching two employees as they prepared to close, the robbers forced their way inside at gunpoint. Ruffin, identifiable by a distinctive gas mask with red markings, ordered one employee to the back of the store, holding him at gunpoint while disabling the alarm. Approximately $1,200 was stolen from the safe during this terrifying encounter.

The following day, November 22nd, Ruffin and an accomplice struck the Family Dollar at 3777 North Sherwood Forest Blvd. Again wielding handguns and wearing masks – Ruffin sporting the same red-marked gas mask – they threatened two Family Dollar employees near the end of their shift. Ruffin ordered one employee to the ground and forced them to open the safe, making off with $2,416.48. The robberies were swift, violent, and left the employees shaken.

“Crimes such as these have a lasting affect on the victims,” stated U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. “No one should be forced at gunpoint to submit to the will of another.” Gathe emphasized the collaborative effort that led to Ruffin’s conviction, thanking both local and federal law enforcement partners for their work. Ruffin will also serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with the Baton Rouge Police Department and assistance from the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory, spearheaded the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy S. Johnson and M. Patricia Jones prosecuted the case, securing the conviction and lengthy sentence that will keep Ruffin off the streets and, hopefully, prevent further victimization. The investigation remains open into the identities of Ruffin’s three accomplices.

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