RENO, NEVADA – A Reno man was convicted by a federal jury yesterday for robbing a liquor store and a convenience store at gunpoint, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Edward Monet Knight, 32, of Reno, was found guilty of two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and two counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Chief U.S. District Judge Miranda M. Du presided over the five-day trial and scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 21, 2021.
According to court documents and evidence presented during trial, on July 7, 2019, Knight racked the slide of a firearm while threatening a clerk at a liquor store in Sparks, Nev. The next day, on July 8, Knight entered a convenience store and told a clerk: “what do you mean knock it off, with a real gun that’s a good way to get yourself killed.” Knight then pointed a semi-automatic handgun at the clerk and ordered the clerk to give him all the money in the cash register. After Knight fled the store with the stolen money, Sparks Police Department officers responded to the scene. A search of an abandoned vehicle (that was observed fleeing the convenience store) revealed: (a) a handgun matching the description of the gun used in the robbery; (b) Knight’s identification card; and (c) the stolen money.
Knight faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years in prison for the use of a firearm and in relation to a crime of violence charges. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the interference by robbery charges, a term of supervised release, and a monetary fine.
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Sparks Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Rachow and Penny Brady are prosecuting the case.