United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Leonard Hatten, 28, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. to 268 months in federal prison today in federal court in Omaha following Hatten’s conviction by a jury in March of this year for five counts of federal law violations: one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by way of robbery with two co-defendants, two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the armed robberies. In addition to 268 months imprisonment, Chief Judge Rossiter sentenced Hatten to a 5-year term of supervised release following his prison sentence and ordered Hatten to make restitution to the businesses he helped to rob, jointly and severally, with his co-defendants. There is no parole in the federal system. Hatten was also ordered to pay a special assessment of $500.00 and restitution of $1,540.00.
At trial, multiple victims testified to being physical assaulted by Hatten, which included shoving one manager of a restaurant under a counter, pointing a gun at a pregnant cashier’s stomach and striking her on the buttocks, and dragging another employee by his hair through a store during a robbery.
The stores robbed were Family Dollar at 2601 North 16th Street on October 10, 2019, and Kwik Shop at 5929 North 72nd Street on October 29, 2019. Both stores are in Omaha. One of the overt acts charged as part of the conspiracy was the robbery of a Tobacco Hut located in Council Bluffs.
Co-defendant Donovan Shaw was previously sentenced to 112 months on April 28, 2023. Co-defendant Spencer Scott is scheduled for sentencing on July 20, 2023, at 9:00 a.m.
FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “Hatten’s crime spree in Nebraska and Iowa terrorized innocent victims. His sentence today is the result of the FBI’s unwavering commitment to working closely with our local and state partners to bring violent criminals to justice.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Omaha Police Department.