United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, along with Kelvin Jackson, Resident Agent in Charge of the Hudson Valley Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), announced that Jyereonne Ransom and Kenneth Crute have been arrested in connection with a series of armed robberies in Mount Vernon and Manhattan. The arrests took place on December 6, 2025. Both individuals appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court and were ordered detained.
“As alleged, over the course of three weeks in November, Jyereonne Ransom and Kenneth Crute carried out a series of gunpoint robberies,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “When offenders choose gun violence in New York, we will work to get them off the street using our robust federal investigative tools and partnerships, and they will be charged with serious federal crimes, often carrying mandatory minimums and consecutive sentences, so that they remain off the street.”
“These arrests stem directly from the strong collaboration between ATF NY’s Hudson Valley Field Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department,” said ATF Resident Agent in Charge Kelvin Jackson. “By combining our expertise and resources, we were able to swiftly stop a pattern of armed robberies that threatened innocent lives. Our agencies remain firmly committed to safeguarding our communities, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York will now take the case forward. This type of violence creates fear within the community, and we refuse to tolerate it. We will persist in doing everything we can to reduce violent gun crime in our streets.”
According to allegations made in a complaint filed at White Plains federal court, Ransom and Crute are accused of committing several robberies between November 10 and November 29, 2025. These include a restaurant robbery at gunpoint on November 10 in upper Manhattan; another restaurant robbery on November 12 in Mount Vernon; a gas station robbery on November 19 also in Mount Vernon; and another restaurant robbery on November 29 again in Mount Vernon.
Ransom, age 19 from New York City, faces charges including conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery as well as four counts of Hobbs Act robbery—each count carries up to 20 years imprisonment—and three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence which adds mandatory minimum sentences.
Crute, age 18 also from New York City, is charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery along with three counts of Hobbs Act robbery—each count carrying up to 20 years—and two counts related to brandishing firearms during violent crimes which also require additional mandatory minimum prison terms.
Sentencing guidelines are set by Congress but any final sentence will be determined by a judge.
Jay Clayton acknowledged investigative efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies including ATF’s Hudson Valley Field Office as well as police departments from Mount Vernon and New York City alongside Westchester County Department of Public Safety.
The prosecution is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Sidransky from the White Plains Division.
The charges described are currently only accusations; both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
