The final defendant in the violent robbery of a Montgomery dry cleaning business has been sentenced, bringing the federal prosecution of all four men involved in the March 2025 crime to a close.
Clinton Thompson, 56, of Birmingham, was sentenced Aug. 5 to 121 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. Following his prison term, Thompson will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Yellowhammer News reported on the brazen robbery last year after owner Jim Massey III described being beaten, threatened and bound during the attack.
The sentencing closes the case stemming from the March 10, 2025, robbery at Jim Massey’s Cleaners on East South Street in Montgomery. The robbery gained widespread attention after Massey recounted being confronted by four men disguised as construction workers, struck in the face, threatened at what appeared to be gunpoint, and zip-tied before the suspects fled with cash, his cell phone, keys and vehicle. Federal court records later revealed the weapon used in the robbery was a BB gun made to resemble a handgun.
According to Thompson’s plea agreement and court records, he joined co-defendants Zedekiah Sykes, Spirit Hooks and Spencer Thomas in carrying out the robbery after the group shattered the business’s front door with a rock and forced their way inside.
Thomas pointed what appeared to be a handgun at Massey’s head while demanding access to the safe. When Massey struggled to remember the combination, Hooks struck him in the left eye, leaving visible bruising and swelling. The group stole approximately $8,000 from the safe before binding the victim’s hands and feet with zip ties and escaping in his vehicle.
“Violent crime has no place in our communities, and those who commit these offenses should expect substantial federal prison sentences,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas Govan. “This was a calculated and violent robbery that left a hardworking business owner injured and traumatized. With the sentencing of the final defendant, every member of this robbery crew has now been brought to justice. Together, the defendants received nearly 53 years in federal prison, a result that reflects the severity of their conduct and the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners.”
FBI Mobile Special Agent in Charge Christopher R. Flowers said the case read like something out of a true crime story.
“Today’s sentencing of Clinton Thompson ends the final, real-life chapter of something you would only expect to find in a true crime story,” Flowers said. “This brazen group of criminals pre-planned a robbery, then executed that plan with violence and intimidation, and stole not only the victim’s cash, but also the victim’s car. What this robbery crew did not expect was the relentless tenacity of federal, state, and local law enforcement. The FBI and our partners worked quickly and aggressively to investigate this case, and ensured these violent offenders were held accountable.”
Thompson is the fourth and final defendant sentenced in the case. Prosecutors said Sykes, identified as the organizer and ringleader, received a 195-month federal prison sentence in October 2025. Hooks was sentenced to 175 months, while Thomas received 144 months in January 2026. Sykes, Hooks and Thomas were ordered to pay $9,598.74 in restitution to the victim, while Thompson was ordered to pay restitution jointly and severally with his co-defendants.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Montgomery Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation, the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Feil prosecuted the case.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
