DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Rhode Island

For Immediate Release

Monday, March 14, 2016
Peter F. Neronha
, United States Attorney
Contact: Jim Martin

Providence Resident Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison on Firearms, Hobbs Act Conspiracy Charges

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Allen Prout, 44, of Providence, was sentenced on Friday to 13 years in federal prison on firearms and robbery conspiracy charges relating to his June 2014 plan to rob a drug dealer and on a robbery conspiracy charge relating to his involvement in an armed robbery in September 2012.

On October 29, 2015, Prout pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the June 2014 robbery conspiracy. On that same date, Prout pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery in connection with the armed robbery in September 2012. At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Prout to serve 3 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

Prout’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, West Warwick Police Chief Colonel Richard G. Silva and Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston field division of ATF.

At the time of his guilty plea, Prout admitted to the court that on June 6, 2014, he and a co-conspirator, Emmett Blyden, 45, of Providence, took possession of firearms they intended to use to rob a drug stash house in Providence. The defendants believed that two kilos of heroin and a substantial amount of cash were being stored at the house. The two men were arrested moments after taking possession of the firearms.

Blyden pleaded guilty on September 22, 2015, to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced on January 5, 2016, to 96 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years supervised release.

At the time of his guilty plea, Prout also admitted to the court that he participated in a conspiracy in September 2012 to rob an individual at gun point of money the victim intended to use to purchase a significant quantity of oxycodone pills. According to court records, Prout and a co-defendant, Kiplagatt Stewart, 41, of Providence, posed as drug dealers in order to gain access to the home of the victim. Instead of selling the victim oxycodone pills, Prout and Stewart robbed the victim at gunpoint of approximately $14,000 in cash.

Stewart was sentenced on October 22, 2015, to 84 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years supervised release. Stewart pleaded guilty on June 17, 2015, to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Milind M. Shah, with the assistance of First Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adi Goldstein.

Providence Police and Rhode Island State Police assisted West Warwick Police and ATF in the investigation of these matters.

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Boston Field Division