Man Facing Charges in JP Wireless Armed Robbery
A local man was charged in federal court in Boston last week in connection with the March 20, 2023 armed robbery of the JP Wireless store in Jamaica Plain.
Royal Benjamin, 63, was charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery. Benjamin currently is in state custody on related charges and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to charging documents, on the evening of March 20, a Black male approximately six feet in height, wearing a black ski mask, grey hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans and black-and-white sneakers entered the JP Wireless Store in Jamaica Plain brandishing a black revolver. The suspect allegedly removed the cash register drawer with his bare hands, but dropped the drawer on the floor before fleeing the scene. It is alleged that Benjamin was identified as a positive match for fingerprints retrieved from the cash register drawer.
The charge of Hobbs Act robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Passengers Urged To Plan Ahead As Detours Expected at Logan
Due to ongoing roadway work that will impact passengers using Terminals B, C and E roadways, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) is urging departing passengers to plan for extra time if driving to the airport and/or utilize the various transit modes to get to and from Logan. Terminals B and C are Boston Logan’s busiest terminals – B serves American, United, Air Canada, Spirit, Southwest, Boutique and Alaska, while C serves JetBlue, Aer Lingus, Cape Air and TAP Air Portugal. Ongoing roadway construction will revamp the current terminal roadway system to eliminate backups, enhance the passenger pickup and drop off process, and get passengers to and from the terminals faster, improving the overall customer experience at Boston Logan.
During the 11-day period through September 25 (weather permitting), the roadway construction will require detours. Terminals C and E Departures traffic will be detoured to alternative roadways. Terminal C Departures level traffic will be re-routed to the Arrivals level roadway to the Terminal C Ride App area in Central Parking. Terminal E Departures level traffic will be detoured through Terminal B Departures. For one day on September 16, Terminal C and E Arrivals traffic will be detoured through Terminal B Arrivals. Additional signage is being installed and State Police and Massport Ground Transportation staff will be on site to assist drivers.
For more information on the various ways to get to and from Boston Logan, please go to
www.massport.com/logan-airport/to-from-logan/.