Alleged Robbers Indicted
NORFOLK, Va. – Jonathan Ray Allen, age 27, of Portsmouth, Va., Douglas Tyrone Byron, age 34, of Suffolk, Va. and Tabarus Mandell Holland, age 31, of Suffolk, Va., were indicted today by a Norfolk federal grand jury on charges of robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the grand jury returned its indictment. All three defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
According to the indictment, Allen, Byron and Holland robbed approximately 10 stores throughout the Hampton Roads area between May and June 2011. The stores included various check cashing stores, a Family Dollar, a beauty parlor and a Foot Locker shoe store. The indictment alleges that the defendants entered these stores while brandishing firearms and demanded money from the employees. During some of the robberies they threatened the employees with death if they did not comply. After each of the robberies, the defendants would force the employees into a backroom of the store and instruct them not to move until they counted to 100, allowing the defendants to make their escape. The police identified Allen, Byron and Holland as the robbers of these various stores when the employees identified their pictures in photo lineups.
This case was investigated by the Norfolk FBI. Assistant United States Attorney William D. Muhr is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
