Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Topeka Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge Of Using A Gun In A Robbery
KANSAS, KAN. – A Topeka man Tuesday pleaded guilty to a federal charge of using a gun to commit a robbery, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Renard Alston, 20, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of using a firearm in a robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on Aug. 28, 2015, he sold a 9 mm pistol with an obliterated serial number for $400 to an undercover informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Then Alston pointed a gun to the informant’s head and ordered the informant to give him everything he had. Alston kept the cash the informant had paid for the gun and took back the 9 mm pistol before fleeing the scene.
Sentencing is set for May 16. He faces a penalty of not less than five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Grissom commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.
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