Eugene Marijuana Dispensary Robber Pleads Guilty in Federal Court, Feb. 15

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man affiliated with the Hoover Criminal Gang and Unthank Park Hustlers, two allied Portland street gangs, pleaded guilty Monday, Feb. 14 after robbing a Eugene marijuana dispensary. Timothy Christopher Gaines, 30, pleaded guilty to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. According to court documents, on December 20, 2019, Gaines and an accomplice robbed Green Therapy, a marijuana dispensary in Eugene, of several jars of marijuana and $912 in cash. Gaines brandished a firearm during the robbery and pointed it at a store employee cowering on the floor. On June 25, 2020, Gaines was charged by criminal complaint with Hobbs Act robbery. Later, on July 23, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Gaines with the same. A superseding indictment returned on October 20, 2020 added a charge of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Gaines faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a seven-year mandatory minimum, a $250,000 fine, and a five-year term of supervised release. He will be sentenced on April 26, 2022 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon. U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Eugene Police Department and Portland Police Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah K. Bolstad is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.