BEAUMONT, Texas – Four Houston men were arrested in Beaumont in connection with an armored car robbery scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
Officials said Jamarius Jones, 21, David Taylor, 28, Prentis Delaney, 29, and Coray Brown, 32, appeared in federal court in Beaumont on Friday for initial appearances.
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A criminal complaint charging the individuals with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery was signed by a U.S. magistrate judge Tuesday. Officials said the Hobbs Act "prohibits actual or attempted robbery that has an effect on interstate commerce by reason of their repetition and aggregate effect on the economy."
Investigators believe the crew is responsible for the October 2019 fatal shooting of an armored car guard in northwest Houston, officials said.
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According to the criminal complaint, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating a series of armored car robberies, including the fatal robbery of a Loomis armored car courier that occurred Oct. 24, 2019, in Houston.
Officials said during the robbery, three people brandished firearms and demanded money from the courier. The courier, Francis Hazzard, was shot and killed.
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A subsequent investigation led officers to the four men arrested. Officials said that on Monday, the men were observed together in Houston before traveling to Lake Charles in two separate vehicles.
Upon arriving in Lake Charles, the men were observed by law enforcement officers following an armored vehicle that then traveled to Beaumont, officials said. After arriving in Beaumont, the men were met by law enforcement officers and then arrested.
Officials said that inside one of the vehicles, officers discovered two AR-15 style rifles, a pistol, three masks, three sets of gloves, five cellphones and two open bottles of rubbing alcohol.
The men face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, officials said.