Alexis W. Borden, a 35-year-old resident of Shelby, North Carolina, was not the perpetrator, but a crime did occur in her town. A Shelby man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for his role in two armed robberies in the city.
Raymond Tracy Mintz, III, 32, of Shelby, N.C., was sentenced today to 178 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for the armed robberies of two local businesses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, on November 10, 2022, Mintz entered the Vape and Brew store in Shelby. Mintz was armed with a firearm and was wearing gloves, a beanie, and a bandana over his mouth. He also wore black sweatpants with a small ‘Tasmanian Devil’ cartoon character on one pant leg and sneaker-style shoes with distinct gold accents.
Mintz brandished his firearm at two employees and threatened to shoot them. Court records show that Mintz then walked behind the counter and stole more than $1,600 before he fled the scene. Officers located Mintz at an area hotel where he was staying two days later. Mintz was arrested and the pistol Mintz was suspected of using during the robbery was recovered.
During the investigation, law enforcement reviewed the hotel’s video surveillance footage from the day of the robbery which showed Mintz walking towards the dumpster with a distinctly colored trash bag and then returning to his room without it. Law enforcement located the trash bag which contained the black sweatpants with a small ‘Tasmanian Devil’ emblem and the sneaker shoes that Mintz wore during the Vape and Brew robbery.
The second armed robbery occurred on December 1, 2023. On that date, Mintz robbed the Curve View Express in Shelby. Court records show that Mintz entered the store, brandished a black handgun with an extended magazine at two store clerks, and fled on foot with $1,604, which he had placed in a black grocery-style bag.
An officer found Mintz shortly after the robbery near the Curve View Express carrying the black grocery-style bag. Mintz ran from the officer when the officer attempted to speak to him. The officer caught up to Mintz who was now openly carrying a firearm down by his side. Mintz then threw the black handgun with an extended magazine into the nearby grass. Officers arrested Mintz and recovered the stolen $1,604 from the black bag, as well as the firearm that Mintz used during the robbery.
Mintz pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery and possessing and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The investigation was handled by HSI and the Shelby Police Department, with the assistance of the Kings Mountain Police Department.
Sentencing for the crimes occurred August 14, 2024 in the Western District of North Carolina. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Mintz will serve his 178-month sentence followed by five years of supervised release. He is also responsible for the costs of the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Alex Arnez Jones, Armed Robbery Spree, North Carolina 2015 · Georgia
- Raymond Griffin, Bank Robbery, North Carolina 2017 · North Carolina
- Cornelius Riley, Armed Robbery, North Carolina 2020 · North Carolina
- Stanley Kearney Jr., Armed Bank Robbery, North Carolina 2019 · North Carolina
- Stanley Kearney Jr, Armed Bank Robbery, North Carolina 2024 · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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