Press Release
BROWARD COUNTY DEFENDANTS CONVICTED OF ARMED ROBBERY OF 16 RESTAURANTS
April 30, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Sheriff Al Lamberti, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Franklin Adderley, Chief of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Richard E. Perez, Chief of the Wilton Manors Police Department, Jerry A. Blough, Chief of the Margate Police Department, John E. Brooks, Chief of Sunrise Police Department, Kenneth Pachnek, Chief of the Lauderhill Police Department, and Chadwick E. Wagner, Chief of the Hollywood Police Department, announced that defendants Curtis Solomon, Devon Chance, and Jamaur Lewis were convicted by a West Palm Beach jury for their participation in a string of armed robberies at various Broward restaurants. After a 10-day trial, the jury convicted the defendants of all but 2 of the counts in the 36-count Second Superseding Indictment. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 29, 2009, at 2:00 PM before U.S. District Court Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks in West Palm Beach.
The defendants were charged in a 36-count indictment with robbing sixteen Broward County restaurants and the attempted robbery of a Hollywood 7-11 store. More specifically, Counts 1 and 2 of the Second Superseding Indictment charged the defendants were conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, and conspiracy to carry and possess a firearm during the robberies, respectively. Counts 3 through 36 charged the actual robberies and carrying a firearm during each of the 17 robberies.
All defendants were convicted of the two conspiracy counts (Counts 1 and 2), all of the Hobbs Act robbery counts in which they were named, and the accompanying gun charges. The three were acquitted on only one count, dealing with the attempted robbery of the 7-11 store in Hollywood, and its accompanying gun count. During the trial, the government called 65 witnesses, including victims, employees, law enforcement officers, records custodians, and cooperating witnesses.
This successful prosecution was the culmination of a tremendous joint effort by federal and local law enforcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives was the lead federal agency. Local law enforcement team members included the Broward Sheriff's Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Wilton Manors Police Department, Margate Police Department, Sunrise Police Department, Lauderhill Police Department, and Hollywood Police Department. The U.S. Marshals Service is also to be commended for their detailed analysis of the defendants' telephone records. The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joanne Fine and Bruce Brown.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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