BEAUMONT, Texas - A Houston man and woman have been sentenced to federal prison for violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.

Eric Ray Johnson, 37, pleaded guilty on Sep. 26, 2017, to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.  Trashawna Day, 22, pleaded guilty on Sep. 27, 2017, to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison today by Judge Heartfield. 

According to information presented in court, on Feb. 22, 2017, law enforcement officers in Beaumont attempted to stop a white Cadillac Escalade truck in the vicinity of Dowlen Road and Delaware. The vehicle would not stop and instead led officers on a vehicle pursuit until it came to a stop in the 3500 block of Delaware. The three men in the vehicle fled on foot but were captured and detained by law enforcement officers. A fourth man, whose involvement was already known to officers, was located and detained at a nearby service station. Interviews with the suspects revealed an alleged conspiracy to commit an armed robbery in violation of the Hobbs Act in Beaumont, but law enforcements officers successfully intervened and prevented them from succeeding. Johnson and Davy were charged along with six others in a five-count indictment returned on Mar. 22, 2017.

                This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Beaumont Police Department, and the Houston Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lesley Woods and John B. Ross.

Davilyn Walston

Public Information Officer/Law Enforcement Coordinator

U.S. Attorney's Office

Eastern District of Texas