A felon involved in multiple drug store robberies in Raleigh was sentenced to 25 years in prison on April 16, 2025. Marvin Rashaad Cummings, aged 34, was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of Hobbs Act Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence on December 4, 2024.
Court documents reveal that the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) responded to a robbery at a CVS store on New Bern Avenue on December 29, 2022. According to witnesses, a man wearing a gray hoodie and a black mask, identified as Cummings, approached the register, purchased a pack of gum, and showed a black handgun, demanding money from the register. Cummings then forced the store clerk to open the safe, from which he stole a large sum of money. The money had a tracker, leading the police to a red sedan near the CVS. Cummings was found in the car, wearing clothes that matched the description of the robber, and was in possession of a mask and handgun matching witness descriptions.
Cummings confessed to his involvement in six robberies in the Raleigh and Knightdale regions in the preceding month, admitting he used a real handgun during the crimes. His prior convictions include Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, bank robbery, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The conviction comes as part of the Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP), a collaborative initiative among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies aimed at tackling the main contributors to violent crime through focused enforcement and intelligence-led policing.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Daniel P. Bubar, announced the sentencing following its ruling by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Raleigh Police Department, and the Knightdale Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Newby and Sarah E. Nokes.
Further details on the case can be accessed via the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina's website or on PACER with Case No. 5:23-cr-00319.