Donna men sentenced in connection with smoke shop robberies
Two Donna residents were sentenced to four years in federal prison after robbing two smoke shops, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.
Robert Jae Franco, 23, and Alejandro Isaiah Gonzalez, 22, pleaded guilty to robbery charges in Oct. 2024 and Nov. 2024, respectively.
The news release identified both men as the individuals who robbed two smoke shops in Pharr and Donna at gunpoint on Jan. 2024.
“Surveillance video from each location showed the masked and armed men enter the stores and rush the store employees while demanding money from the registers,” the news release stated.
The news release noted that Frano had previously been convicted on charges of human smuggling and aggravated assault. Gonzalez was previously convicted in connection with three separate burglaries, the release added.