NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A Newport News man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in a 2019 string of armed convenience store robberies across the Hampton Roads region.
According to court documents, 22-year-old Daniel Zeigler-Irizarry Jr. and other co-conspirators robbed six different stores at gunpoint in four different cities in November and December 2019.
In addition, Zeigler-Irizarry and a co-conspirator allegedly stole vehicles to move back and forth between their targeted locations.
During the final robbery, a tracker was concealed in one of the money packs stolen by Zeigler-Irizarry and a co-conspirator. The signal emitting from the tracking device allowed authorities to track their movements from the scene of the final robbery to a neighborhood in Newport News.
To avoid being arrested, Zeigler-Irizarry and a co-conspirator attempted to drive away in a stolen vehicle, but crashed and were taken into custody. Police recovered the tracker, a firearm and some of the items allegedly stolen during the robbery.
“The defendant and others committed a series of terrifying armed robberies and stole from community members throughout the Hampton Roads region,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will not tolerate the spreading of fear or violence in our neighborhoods, and our residents—including the hard-working entrepreneurs who run these businesses—deserve to feel safe at all times. This case serves as another example of our continued commitment to working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to combat violent crime and hold accountable those who commit such crimes.”
