Five Mississippi men were sentenced to federal prison for the armed robbery of three Jackson business.

The men were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate for their roles in multiple robberies under the Hobbs Act.

Joshua Cowards, Christopher Delaney, Cortez Kyles, Tyreik Lackey and Marquarius Rogers were indicted by a federal grand jury on November 27, 2018 for armed robberies of three Jackson businesses.  The businesses robbed by the men were Community Choice Financial, Speedee Cash, and Dollar General.  All five men were detained without bond pending trial.  Four pleaded guilty and one was found guilty by a jury.

The armed robberies, coordinated by Delaney, occurred in August and September 2018.  Delaney provided transportation to each robbery and served as a look-out while monitoring police radio traffic during the robberies.  While Delaney served as the look-out, others went inside of the businesses.  Those who went inside of the businesses were armed and held employees at gunpoint.  During one of the robberies, an employee was injured when dragged across the floor.  In another robbery, one of the men pointed a handgun at a Jackson police officer.

• On April 2, 2021, Cortez Kyles, 25, was sentenced by Judge Wingate to serve 14 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to his role in one of the armed robberies.
• On March 12, 2021, Tyreik Lackey, 24, was sentenced by Judge Wingate to serve 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to his role in one of the armed robberies.
• On March 12, 2021, Marquarius Rogers, 20, was sentenced by Judge Wingate to serve 17 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to his role in one of the armed robberies.
• On March 11, 2021, Christopher Delaney, 24, was sentenced by Judge Wingate to serve 23 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to his role in the armed robberies.
• On May 11, 2020, Joshua Cowards, 29, was sentence by Judge Wingate to serve 15 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, after a jury found him guilty of his role in one of the armed robberies.

In addition, Judge Wingate ordered the men to pay restitution totaling more than $85,000.00.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway.