Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Jury Convicts Columbus Man of Committing Six Robberies
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted a Columbus man for committing six robberies in Columbus in September and October 2020.
Ronald Lee Jacobs, 46, was convicted of six counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
The verdict was announced Monday afternoon following a trial that began on Aug. 7 before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.
According to court documents and trial testimony, Jacobs committed 6 robberies, including:
- Hampton Inn on South Hamilton Road on Sept. 5, 2020,
- Wing Snob on North High Street on Sept. 12, 2020,
- United Dairy Farmers on North High Street on Sept. 24, 2020,
- Shell Gas Station on South Hamilton Road on Sept. 30, 2020,
- Wing Snob on North High Street on Oct. 8, 2020, and
- Walgreens on East Livingston Avenue on Oct. 12, 2020.
During the robberies, Jacobs typically wore either an inside-out gray sweatshirt or a dark sweatshirt, dark pants and used a blue bandana. Jacobs was employed at a glue factory and, during multiple robberies, had visible glue splatters on his clothing. He called off work for one robbery and left during his shift to commit another one of the robberies.
In jail calls, Jacobs discussed the firearms he used and said he committed the robberies because he was “broke” and needed to pay child support.
Jacobs was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in November 2020. In March 2021, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Jacobs and that indictment was superseded in September 2021.
Jacobs’ six robbery counts carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by at least seven years in prison. Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced today’s verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.