Local men arrested for allegedly posting picture with cash from robberies on Instagram
LOS ANGELES - Four Los Angeles County men were arrested Tuesday on federal charges of committing armed robberies of mostly 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles during a nearly two-month crime spree, with one of them allegedly posting a photo on Instagram of himself holding stolen cash.
The indictment unsealed Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles charges the defendants with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of interference with commerce by robbery, known as a federal Hobbs Act crime, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Charles Christopher, 24, of Compton; D'Angelo Spencer, 26, of South Los Angeles; Jordan Leonard, 25, of Torrance; and Tazjar Rouse, 22, of Hollywood, were also charged with various counts of Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
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Christopher and Leonard were arraigned Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court and ordered to remain jailed without bond. Rouse made his initial appearance Tuesday in federal court in Kansas City, Missouri. Spencer is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
"Violent gun crime leaves lasting emotional and psychological scars for victims," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. "Anyone thinking that violent robberies are a good way to make money should take note that there will be consequences for your actions."
According to the indictment, the defendants committed a series of armed robberies last winter, mostly of 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles and a CVS in Hollywood. The defendants traveled to the targeted stores in a BMW, jumped over the counters, took money from the cash registers, and placed the money into a black Nike bag, prosecutors allege.
One of the defendants — usually either Christopher or Leonard — allegedly pointed a firearm at a store employee or customer and demanded either their cellphone or their wallet, the indictment says.
On Nov. 28, following the robbery of a 7-Eleven store in South Los Angeles, Leonard posted a photograph on Instagram with stacks of cash, captioned "love my bros we go hit every time." He also tagged the Instagram accounts of Christopher and Spencer, the indictment alleges.
In total, the defendants allegedly netted about $7,617 in cash during the crime spree, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
If convicted, the defendants would face up to 20 years in federal prison for each Hobbs Act-related count and -- for each firearm count -- a sentence between seven years and life imprisonment, prosecutors noted.