Fresno Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Arizona Robbery Spree

TUCSON, Ariz. – This week, Dwight Phillip Bivens, 29, of Fresno, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Raner C. Collins to 63 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  Bivens had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery.

On May 28, 2016, Bivens and three other persons entered a Tiffany & Co. jewelry store in Tucson, Ariz., stole a diamond solitaire ring, and assaulted a security guard before getting away.  Later that day, Bivens and the three men entered a Nordstrom department store in Scottsdale, Ariz., and stole several designer handbags after verbally threatening a store manager.  On the same day, Bivens and the three men entered a Helzberg Diamond Outlet store in Glendale, Ariz., and stole several high-end watches after pepper-spraying the store employees.  Bivens later pawned the watches in Fresno, Calif.  The victims’ financial losses totaled more than $130,000.

 A co-defendant, Mitchell Ray Finley, is pending sentencing after pleading guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery.  His sentencing is set for Aug. 6, 2018.

The investigation in this case was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, the Scottsdale Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, and the Fresno Police Department.  The prosecution was handled by Lauren G. LaBuff, Fred A. Cocio, and Rui Wang, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Tucson.