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RAPAPORT... Leon Fenner of New York pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a jewelry wholesaler on the eight floor of 23 West 47th Street in Manhattan during the Veteran's Day parade on November 11, 2014. According to the federal complaint, Fenner -- dressed in a suit, carrying a bag and appearing to be a messenger -- came to the door of the Watch Standard on the pretense that he was there to serve the owner with court papers. He placed two envelopes on the front desk and then removed a weapon from his bag and pointed it at the owner, and the others present, demanding that they give him all of the jewelry in the store.
As the robbery was occurring, a relative of the owner entered the store at which time Fenner hit the relative with the weapon. The court determined that those in the store handed over $600,000 worth of jewelry to Fenner before he left the scene. Fenner was later captured in Maryland and identified by authorities based on fingerprint analysis of the envelopes that he'd left in the store and by surveillance images. Fenner, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and he is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16.
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