Brooklyn, NY – A federal judge has denied a habeas corpus petition filed by Levy Robinson, who is serving a decades-long sentence for a violent 2012 home invasion in which a family was tied up, pistol-whipped, and threatened at gunpoint.
According to court records, Robinson and two accomplices broke into a family home on a January night in 2012. The burglars restrained the family with zip ties, pistol-whipped the father, and threatened to kill a three-year-old child while attempting to steal money and jewelry. Police arrived during the burglary, leading to a shootout in which one accomplice fatally shot himself. Robinson was found hiding inside the house and arrested after resisting officers.
A jury later convicted Robinson on 25 counts, including robbery, burglary, assault, weapons possession, false imprisonment, resisting arrest, and child endangerment. Evidence included testimony from 34 witnesses, the victims, police officers, DNA from Robinson on a ski mask left at the scene, stolen property found on him at arrest, and both a videotaped and written confession.
Robinson, sentenced as a repeat felony offender, originally received 55 years, later reduced on appeal. His efforts to challenge his sentence under New York law — arguing he was wrongly sentenced as a repeat offender and that his lawyer failed him — were rejected by state courts.
In his latest attempt, Robinson filed a federal habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. In a September 8 memorandum and order, Judge Edward R. Korman of the Eastern District of New York dismissed his claims, upholding the state courts’ rulings and leaving his conviction and sentence intact.
Key Points
- Levy Robinson was convicted of 25 counts in a violent 2012 home invasion in New York.
- He received a 55-year sentence as a repeat offender, later reduced on appeal.
- A federal judge rejected his habeas petition, finding no grounds to overturn his conviction or sentence.
The ruling closes another chapter in Robinson’s long legal battle, leaving his state conviction and sentence in place.