Man gets federal prison sentence for armed robbery of metro-east hotel

A federal judge in the Southern District of Illinois has sentenced an Arkansas man to 210 months in prison for robbing a Maryville hotel at gunpoint.

Rickey Martin Jr., 36, pleaded guilty in November to Hobbs Act robbery and to using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, federal prosecutors said.

He was also ordered to pay $1,440 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

According to court documents, Martin robbed the owner of Loyalty Inn, 2701 Maryville Rd., in May 2023, brandishing a firearm loaded with an extended magazine and taking the victim’s wallet and cash. Authorities said he later used the victim’s credit cards at a gas station and a fast-food restaurant.

“Gun violence will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft said in a statement “All thieves lack honor, but armed robbers embody a special evil, because they use violence and intimidation to take what they have neither earned, created, nor deserved, from the innocent people who have.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maryville Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.

This story was originally published March 16, 2026 at 2:47 PM.