Memphis Man Sentenced to Over 78 Years in Federal Prison for Three Business Robberies

Memphis, TN - A federal judge has sentenced Maurice Harris, 32, to 946 months and a day in federal prison for committing a series of business robberies by discharging a firearm and violating the conditions of his supervised release from a previous case. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, Harris conducted a series of armed robberies of businesses within the Western District of Tennessee:

• October 4, 2024 - Metro by T-Mobile - 4673 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, TN
• October 7, 2024 - Cricket Wireless - 1129 S. Dupress Street, Brownsville, TN
• October 10, 2024 - AT&T- 5287 Airline Road, Memphis, TN

In each robbery, he pretended to be a customer, then produced a handgun and demanded the store's phones and tablets. During the robbery of the Brownsville Cricket Wireless store, a 5-year-old child was present. Investigators found the driver's license identification of Harris that he left behind at the store when he fled. He was arrested at his place of employment in possession of the same handgun used in each of the robberies, in the same car he drove to each of the robberies, along with items stolen from two of the robberies.

All three incidents were recorded on store surveillance videos, and Harris was identified in a photo line-up and later in court by each of the victims. Harris had a prior federal conviction for a business robbery and had just been placed on supervised release in June 2024 when he committed the new robberies.

After a three-day trial, Harris was convicted as charged of three counts of robbery, three counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On June 23, 2026, United States District Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Harris to 946 months and a day of federal imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release for the robberies and an additional 46 months' imprisonment for violating his supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "There is a heavy price to pay for a lifestyle of lawlessness. Within the short span of 7 days, this recidivist violent offender's selfish and impulsive greed terrorized multiple victims across West Tennessee - and has rightly earned him an effective life sentence in federal prison."

"Maurice Harris engaged in an armed spree of violence and intimidation," said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. "This sentence should serve as a reminder that the FBI will not waver when it comes to protecting Tennesseans and taking dangerous criminals off the streets. The FBI will continue to combat these issues through strong partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement via task forces and other relationships to ensure the safety of our communities."

This case was investigated by officers from the Memphis Police Department assigned to the FBI Nashville Field Office-Memphis Resident Agency's Safe Streets Task Force, the Brownsville Police Department, and Shelby County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Musselwhite and Greg Wagner prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

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