Trevor Jonathan Wright, a 34-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 219 months in federal prison for leading a group responsible for a series of violent armed robberies targeting South Asian jewelry stores along the East Coast. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Wright, who is also known as the rapper “Taliban Glizzy,” pleaded guilty on September 16, 2025, to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery), brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and his plea agreement, Wright admitted involvement in several major robberies: the June 10, 2022 robbery of Virani Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey ($1.2 million in gold jewelry stolen); the October 25, 2022 robbery of Paradise Jewelry in Paterson, New Jersey ($1.93 million in gold jewelry stolen); and the December 6, 2022 robbery of Kishek Jewelers in Jacksonville, Florida ($700,000 stolen). He also acknowledged possessing an illegal machine gun in Miami on May 27, 2021.
“Trevor Wright and his crew terrorized victims from Northern New Jersey to South Florida. His crew left behind a wake of destruction and great financial loss for family-owned businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “They smashed glass display cases and shoveled the gold into laundry bags. After one armed robbery of nearly $2 million, Wright spent proceeds to purchase a Rolex. He sure won’t need a luxury watch to measure the more than 18 years he’ll now spend in prison.”
Judge Christopher R. Cooper also ordered that Wright serve four years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
Investigators found that over an eighteen-month period beginning January 2022 and ending August 2023, Wright’s group carefully planned their crimes by selecting targets through research and using rental or stolen vehicles—sometimes with stolen license plates—to avoid detection. In at least one case, they carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint for use in their operations.
During each robbery, members would break into stores using sledgehammers and display firearms to intimidate staff and customers. The group later sold or melted down the stolen gold jewelry for cash in Miami.
Wright was arrested on December 12, 2022 as he left St. Yves nightclub in Washington D.C., where police recovered over $17,300 believed linked to one of the robberies.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI field offices from Newark, Jacksonville and Washington D.C., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), United States Marshals Service, and others.
Other members of Wright’s crew have received sentences ranging from just under five years to more than nineteen years for their roles in these crimes.
