AUSTIN — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Texas, Western), published as received.

AUSTIN – A Manor man was sentenced on Friday to 161 months in prison for robbing a pawn store at gunpoint.

According to court documents, Joe Quinonez Jr., 32, was charged with one count of violating the Hobbs Act or interfering with commerce by threats of violence. On January 2, 2021, Quinonez entered a Cash America Pawn store in Austin and brandished a firearm at two persons in the store while robbing the store of firearms. In addition, Quinonez was charged with discharging a firearm during the robbery.  Quinonez pleaded guilty to the charges on June 15, 2021. 

Quinonez was arrested by officers of the Austin Police Department on January 6, 2021 and has remained in custody since his arrest.

“Violent conduct like the armed robbery in this case will not be tolerated in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff.  “When there is federal jurisdiction, our office will continue to vigorously prosecute such conduct in order to protect the public and bring justice for innocent victims.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Fred J. Milanowski, Houston Division said, “ATF is committed to relentlessly pursuing those that commit violent acts with firearms against our communities.  This criminal was an extremely dangerous trigger puller who will now be in a place where he cannot cause harm to the public. The sentencing shows what can result when federal and local law enforcement work together to tackle crime.”

ATF investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.

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