9 indicted in series of heists netting $6 million in luxury watches
They were strangers, federal investigators said, hired by a mastermind to plan a series of heists targeting jewelry stores in Southern California. They stormed in, smashed glass display cases with hammers and lifted $6 million in Rolex and other luxury Swiss watches.
It had the makings of a classic Hollywood heist film whose cast of characters went by nicknames: Macc Attack, Tiny Bogart, Janky Bone, Green Eyes, Bully Bad Ass and Hang Out.
On Thursday, the U.S. attorney’s office announced that nine men suspected in a series of “brazen smash-and-grab robberies” had been named in a federal indictment. Four had been arrested, three already had been in custody and two others were on the run, federal officials said.
“The organizers of this ring carefully planned and executed a series of daylight robberies that terrified and endangered store employees and bystanders,” U.S. Atty. Eileen M. Decker said in a statement.
Those named in the 13-count indictment were: Darrell Dent, 39, of Inglewood; Keith Walton, 45, of Los Angeles; Robert Johnson, 27, of Inglewood; Stanley Ford, 47, of Los Angeles; Justin Henning, 28, of Inglewood; Evan Scott, 27, of Inglewood; Kenneth Paul, 21, of Los Angeles; Jameson Laforest, 24, of Inglewood and Marshawn Marshall, 18, of Inglewood.
All are charged with violating the Hobbs Act by conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery.
Allegedly led by Dent, also known as “D,” the group targeted jewelry stores in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties that were known for carrying high-end watches -- including those made by Rolex, Audemar Piguet and TAG Heuer. Jewelry, including engagement rings, also were stolen.
In all, 10 robberies that occurred between August 2015 and April of this year were connected to the group, prosecutors said.
According to a U.S. District Court indictment, Dent, Ford, Walton, Scott and Paul recruited young men who were financially desperate and promised to pay them large sums of money to carry out the robberies. The men were provided with firearms, ski masks, gloves, hammers or sledgehammers, backpacks, construction uniforms for disguises, dark clothing and stolen vehicles for getaways.
Dent, Walton, Ford and Henning then laid out a plan on how the robberies would be conducted and assigned roles, according to the indictment.
In one robbery, two men wearing ski masks stormed into Rolex Boutique Geary’s in the Westfield Century City mall on Aug. 24, 2015, fired one round to intimidate a security guard, then used hammers to smash glass displays.
They stole 40 Rolex watches, approximately worth $1.63 million, according to the indictment.
After each robbery, Marshall allegedly would wait in a getaway vehicle at a nearby location, then drive to a meeting point where the stolen watches were handed off to Laforest.
Dent, the indictment said, sold the stolen watches for cash, and a small portion was given to the men.
Federal prosecutors said the men often were paid “significantly less than” what was promised.
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