The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced that Clayton Bratcher, who was convicted of committing armed robberies in Memphis, received 14-years in federal prison. Bratcher’s conviction by federal prosecutors followed Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy’s decision to enter into a plea agreement that dropped the charges against the defendant.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee’s office said that Bratcher committed armed robberies at two McDonald’s locations, as well as a Taco Bell store, during late-night hours between July 8 and 9, 2023.
In order to rob the Memphis restaurants, the DOJ stated that Bratcher (pictured above) approached the pick-up window at each location, then “pointed a firearm at the employees through the drive-through window and demanded money from the cash register.”
Bratcher was eventually identified after the Memphis Police Department (MPD) published video from one of the armed robberies, as well as an image that appears to depict Bratcher lunging through a restaurant’s window, toward an employee.
Despite the identification, the DOJ revealed that a plea agreement between Mulroy’s office and Bratcher saw the local prosecutor drop charges related to two of the three armed robberies. He was sentenced to just eight years in Tennessee.
“To properly vindicate the interests of the United States, prevent a manifestly inadequate sentence, and protect public safety, the U.S. Attorney’s Office sought to hold Bratcher accountable under federal law,” said the DOJ in a press release. “Bratcher was later indicted by a federal grand jury for the two robberies that were dismissed by the District Attorney’s office. Bratcher was convicted of the federal offenses after pleading guilty on March 31, 2026.”
As the eight-year sentence imposed by Tennessee and the 14-year sentence imposed by the United States will run consecutively, Bratcher has been sentenced to a total of 22 years behind bars.
“Bratcher’s misguided and impulsive violent crime spree is over,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant in a statement. “His lifestyle of lawlessness and selfish greed terrorized multiple victims – and has rightly earned him significant sentences in both federal and state prison that will remove him from the community and protect Memphians for years to come.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly similarly stated, “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that the FBI is committed to investigating violent crime and working with our law enforcement partners to hold repeat offenders accountable at the federal level, where they face stiffer penalties and no possibility for parole.”
During his 2022 campaign, Mulroy benefited from about $280,000 in spending by the People for Fairness and Justice (PFJ) political action committee (PAC). That PAC received an identical sum from George Soros, the Hungarian-American financier.
In 2025, a report found Soros and his entities spent nearly $60 million on district attorney races since 2014.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
