3 Men, Including 2 From GA, Sentenced To Decades In Prison For Multi-State Armed Robberies

MARIETTA, GA — Three men, including two from Marietta, will face prison time for committing a series of five armed robberies at retail stores in the metro Atlanta area in 2016, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In September and October 2016, Tyvonne Wiley, Tevin Mitchell and Torey Starling committed a string of violent armed robberies in Oklahoma, Texas and then Fulton and Cobb counties in metro Atlanta, according to authorities.

Wiley, sometimes accompanied by Mitchell, charged into retail stores with a loaded gun, ordered everyone to lie flat on the ground, and forced store cashiers to empty the registers into a bag while holding a gun to their heads, investigators said.

Wiley pointed a gun at employees during each robbery and threatened to shoot and kill multiple people. Starling served as the getaway driver in two of the robberies.

“Innocent store clerks and customers were terrorized and lives were endangered by Wiley, Mitchell, and Starling during these armed robberies,” U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine said in the news release. “The violent acts committed by these defendants ended as a result of the collective efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners.”

Mitchell, Wiley and Starling were captured Oct. 28, 2016 at Starling's house in Marietta. When Cobb County police searched the house, they recovered two firearms and two masks used during multiple robberies, as well as some of the cash that the three men had stolen.

The three men were sentenced to the following:

• Tyvonne Wiley, 25, of Marietta, was sentenced Jan. 5 to 35 years and one day in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $13,330.29 in restitution to the businesses he robbed.
  • He was convicted by a jury May 5, 2021 of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, five counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and five counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
• Tevin Mitchell, 27, of Enid, Oklahoma, was sentenced Feb. 3, 2020 to 11 years and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $13,330.29 in restitution to the businesses he robbed.
  • Mitchell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
• Torey Starling, 28, of Marietta, was sentenced June 11, 2021 to six years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution.
  • Starling pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

“The Cobb County Police Department remains steadfast in our commitment to keeping our community safe. We are proud of our continued partnership with other local, state and federal agencies to help us in that regard," said O.S. Hamilton, interim chief of the Cobb County Police Department. "This case is another example of the dedication of law enforcement officers and prosecutors to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those criminals who would seek to victimize the public at large."