Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Sanford Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Robbery
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced BRANDON RAUL NAVARRO, 29, of Sanford, North Carolina to 180 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
NAVARRO was named in an Indictment filed on August 1, 2018 charging him with robbery affecting interstate commerce and carjacking. On December 12, 2018, NAVARRO pled guilty to the robbery charge.
On July 10, 2018, NAVARRO robbed the Dollar General located at 19805 NC 27 West in Cameron, North Carolina, at knifepoint. He also stole an employee’s truck by threatening her at knifepoint. He fled in the truck and ultimately led law enforcement officers on a multicounty, high-speed chase that at times exceeded 100 miles per hour. After officers made numerous attempts to stop him, NAVARRO finally crashed the truck, attempted to flee on foot, and was arrested.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking and crimes against law enforcement.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).
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