AUSTIN, Texas - Two men have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms today after participating in an attempted robbery of an Austin convenience store in 2020 that resulted in a store employee being shot.
Deon Ross, 37, was the man who shot the store employee. Ross was sentenced to 271 months in federal prison. Levante Carter, 19, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison, according to the United States Attorney's Office (USAO).
The attempted robbery took place at a gas station on IH-35 in Austin at approximately 11 a.m. on October 7, 2020, according to court documents.
Carter and Ross flashed their weapons to two store employees upon entering the building. Ross shot one of the employees after demanding money, according to the USAO.
Ross pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by threats or violence and one count of discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Carter pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by threats or violence and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
"These significant sentences reflect our office’s unwavering commitment to address violent crime in our community and protect the public," said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. "I am grateful for the collective efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Austin Police Department in investigating this case."
Ross and Carter were both arrested in 2020 and have been in custody since.
The FBI and the Austin Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gabriel Cohen and Keith Henneke prosecuted the case. This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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