MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A 21-year-old Montgomery man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for a string of armed robberies that targeted gas stations and other businesses across the city during the summer of 2025.
A federal judge sentenced Najari Denarka Mitchell to 300 months in prison Aug. 26, followed by five years of supervised release. Mitchell previously pleaded guilty to multiple federal robbery and firearm charges.
According to his plea agreement and court records, Mitchell committed four armed robberies between June 5 and July 28, 2025. The businesses included a cellphone store and three gas stations at locations along Troy Highway, Eastern Boulevard and Virginia Loop Road.
Prosecutors said Mitchell later joined co-defendant Rayshon Frances Demonta Hall for another series of robberies.
On Aug. 1, 2025, Mitchell and Hall robbed a fast-food restaurant on Troy Highway and threatened an employee with a firearm, according to court records. The next day, they robbed an auto parts store on Fairview Avenue.
On Aug. 4, the two robbed another gas station on Troy Highway. Mitchell also admitted participating with Hall in an attempted robbery of a Montgomery auto parts store.
In addition to the robbery offenses, Mitchell pleaded guilty to two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence.
Hall was convicted by a federal jury May 20, 2026, of three robbery counts and three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He was scheduled for sentencing Sept. 9.
The FBI and Montgomery Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark E. Andreu and Eric M. Counts prosecuted the case.