Waffle House Bandit Sentenced to 13 Years for Armed Robbery

Houston, TX – In a brazen crime that left local residents shaken, Deonta Rashawn Brown, 32, has been sentenced to 162 months in federal prison for his role in the armed robbery of a Houston Waffle House.

Brown pleaded guilty on March 7 to Hobbs Act robbery and related firearms charges, admitting to aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting use, carry and brandish of a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court documents, Brown and his co-conspirator, Fabian Bradley, 22, robbed a Waffle House restaurant in the 1200 block of Wilson Road in Houston on October 24, 2019. The pair also stole an employee’s mobile phone and a small amount of cash from the restaurant.

The robbery was one of three that law enforcement believe the duo committed that night – including another Waffle House restaurant and a gas station convenience store. The three robberies occurred within approximately one hour of each other, beginning at 10:57 p.m. and ending shortly after midnight.

The investigation, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with police departments in Humble and Houston, uncovered a carefully planned and executed crime. The robbers appeared to have chosen locations in low-traffic areas or close to I-69, allowing for a quick getaway from each scene.

Brown will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence and must pay restitution to the victims. His co-conspirator, Fabian Bradley, received a sentence of 168 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced the sentencing, stating that the court took into account the traumatic impact Brown’s crime had on his victims. Brown has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ganz and Joseph Porto prosecuted the case, bringing justice to the victims of this senseless crime.