ORLANDO, Fla. – Nijah Jahni Mitchell, 23, of Orlando, was found guilty Friday of Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Mitchell now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 28 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2025.
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The conviction stems from a series of nine armed robberies targeting convenience stores across Central Florida in the spring of 2023. According to evidence presented at trial, between March 23 and April 1, 2023, Mitchell and his co-defendant, Dany Telfort, 20, also of Orlando, engaged in a robbery spree that spanned three separate evenings.
The first spree involved four stores, the second included three, and the third targeted two stores. During each incident, either Mitchell or Telfort would enter the establishment, brandish a firearm at the store clerks, and demand money from the cash registers.
A crucial breakthrough in the case came after the second string of robberies when a witness provided authorities with a partial license plate number for the vehicle used by Mitchell and Telfort.
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On the following evening, during their third spree, law enforcement officers spotted the suspect vehicle after the ninth robbery and initiated a pursuit. Mitchell and Telfort abandoned the moving vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. While Telfort initially evaded capture, Mitchell was apprehended that night.
At the time of his arrest, Mitchell was found wearing the same clothing and mask he had worn during the third robbery spree, as depicted in surveillance footage from the eighth robbery on April 1, 2023. He was also in possession of a loaded Glock pistol. Telfort, who was indicted alongside Mitchell in April 2024, had left a loaded Taurus pistol in the abandoned vehicle.
Forensic analysis later revealed DNA evidence linked to both Telfort and Mitchell on this weapon. Telfort previously pleaded guilty to his role in the robberies and was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.
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This investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Orlando Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Clermont Police Department, the Ocoee Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oakland Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman, Rachel S. Lyons, and Megan Testerman.
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