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A Fairmont man was found guilty Thursday, August 5, 2021 of four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Frank Giles McCree, 34, was accused of a series of robberies in Robeson County.

“During the month of June, 2016, three different Family Dollar stores and one Dollar General store were robbed at gun point. In each of the robberies, the robber wore a Jamaican style beanie, a wig of fake dreadlocks and a dark hooded sweatshirt,” stated the release. “The robber would wait until the cash drawer was opened by a clerk and then would brandish a firearm. Using threats to shoot or kill the clerks, the robber would steal the entire drawer from the cash registers and demand the clerks open the safes, from which he would also steal money. During two of the robberies, he also stole the [store’s] phone to make it more difficult for the victims to contact law enforcement.”

On June 29, 2016, Frank McCree was the passenger in a car that was pulled over for a traffic violation, according to the release, which also stated the car matched the description of a car leaving the scene of the first Family Dollar robberies.

“When law enforcement spoke to the driver and the defendant, law enforcement noticed a dreadlock wig in the glove compartment,” stated the release. “McCree and the driver were removed from the car. In the middle of the passenger floorboard, at McCree’s feet, was a loaded, .40 Hi-Point Firearm. Also located in the car was the distinct Jamaican style beanie worn by the robber.

“McCree made a phone call from the Robeson County jail to a family member asking them to get in touch with his girlfriend to get rid of something under her bed,” the release continued. “When law enforcement went to her home, they found a Family Dollar bag with change in it, in bank rolls consistent with how the Family Dollar would get coins from the bank.”

In an interview, McCree admitted possession of the firearm and said he had borrowed it from a friend for protection, according to the release.

McCree will be sentenced during the November 9, 2021 term of court.

G. Norman Acker III, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Rowland Police Department, Maxton Police Department, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office and St. Pauls Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted.

“This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” stated the release. “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.”

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