Montgomery County Man Pleads Guilty To Four Armed Robberies

Baltimore, Maryland – Lamont Bonds, age 26, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2014, to armed robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in connection with four restaurant robberies.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Carroll County State’s Attorney Jerry Barnes; Washington County State’s Attorney Charles P. Strong; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

According to Bond’s plea agreement, between July 22 and November 25, 2012, Bonds and Marvel Alegria committed armed robberies at four Chipotle restaurants. Alegria had been the manager of the Chipotle in Mt. Airy, Maryland, prior to her termination on July 17, 2012, for violating company policies. Alegria began discussing robbing the Chipotle restaurant with Bonds, which whom she was having a relationship. Alegria advised Bonds of the best time to commit the robbery, how to access the restaurant, where the safe was located and that the manager had access to the safe. On July 22, 2012, Bonds and Alegria recruited Norman Guifarro to participate in the robbery, which was planned for that evening.

Bonds and Guifarro entered the restaurant wearing masks Bonds had made from tee shirts. Bonds, armed with a shotgun, forced the manager into the office at gunpoint and obtained the money from the safe, while Guifarro, armed with a knife, held the remainder of the employees on the floor in the kitchen area. Bonds and Guifarro fled after forcing the employees into a bathroom. Bonds and Guifarro stole $5,000 in cash, which they later divided among themselves and Alegria.

On August 4, October 21 and November 25, 2012, Bonds, armed with what appeared to be a black semi-automatic pistol, robbed Chipotle restaurants in Hagerstown, Gaithersburg and Damascus, Maryland, respectively, using similar methods as in the first robbery. In the August 4th robbery, Bonds and another man stole $9,400 in cash from the safe. Alegria drove Bonds to and from the Gaithersburg and Damascus robberies where Bonds stole $7,000 and $3,500, respectively. In each robbery, Bonds forced the manager to open the safe at gunpoint.

Bonds faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prions for the robbery and a minimum of seven years, consecutive to any other sentence, and up to life in prison, for brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett scheduled Bonds’ sentencing for November 24, 2014, at 11:00 a.m.

Marvel Alegria, previously pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 23, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. Norman Guifarro pleaded guilty to the Mt. Airy robbery in Carroll County Circuit Court and is awaiting sentencing,

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Maryland State Police, Montgomery County Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Montgomery, Washington and Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Offices for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney A. David Copperthite, who is prosecuting the case.