Houston Men Arrested in Beaumont in Armored Car Robbery Scheme

            BEAUMONT, Texas – Four Houston men have been arrested on federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced. U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown

            David Nathan Taylor, 28; Prentis Leewood Delaney, 29; Coray Quan Brown, 32; and Jamarius Early Jones, 21; appeared in federal court in Beaumont today for initial appearances.  A criminal complaint charging the individuals with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery was signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on Jan. 14, 2020.  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 murder of an armored car guard in northwest Houston.

            According to the criminal complaint filed in the Eastern, District of Texas, 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 on Oct. 24, 2019, in Houston.  During that robbery, three individuals brandished firearms and demanded money from the courier.  The courier was shot and killed.  A subsequent investigation led officers to these four subjects.  On Jan. 13, 2020, these individuals were observed together in Houston prior to traveling to Lake Charles in two separate vehicles.  Upon arriving in Lake Charles the subjects were observed by law enforcement following an armored vehicle that then traveled to Beaumont.  After arriving in Beaumont they were encountered by law enforcement and subsequently arrested.  Inside one of the vehicles officers discovered two AR-15 style rifles, a pistol, three masks, three sets of gloves, five cell phones, and two open bottles of rubbing alcohol.

            If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison.

            This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Beaumont Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Lake Charles Police Department and the Houston Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell E. James.

            A grand jury indictment or complaint is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.