Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Use and Brandishing of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence was sentenced on August 25, 2021, by Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Troy Fairbanks, age 29, was sentenced to three years and ten months in federal prison for the Robbery conviction and seven years in federal prison for the Firearm conviction. The sentences are to be served consecutively. Fairbanks was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The convictions relate to Fairbanks and two other individuals robbing the Quality Inn and Big D at Rapid City in January 2020, and brandishing a pistol at an employee at each establishment.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.

Fairbanks was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.