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BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to prison for federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Moses Ray Rhine, Jr., 21, pleaded guilty on Aug. 11, 2021, to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.

According to court documents, from Jan. 11, 2021 through Jan. 21, 2021, Rhine and others conspired to commit armed robberies of at least five convenience stores located in Southeast Texas.  The stores were all engaged in interstate commerce that employed clerks who were engaged in the commercial activities of the stores at the time of the robberies.  Each store was equipped with functioning surveillance cameras that recorded the robberies.  Local and federal agents interviewed Rhine and he confessed to his role in the robberies.  The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce.

Rhine was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 2, 2021.

This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.