Serial Armed Robber From Hampton Sentenced In Federal Court

NORFOLK, Va. – Christian Lamont Johnson, 24, of Hampton, Va., was sentenced today to 385 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for robbing multiple businesses while armed with a gun in the Hampton Roads area.
            Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mythili Raman, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division; and James D. Newman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. 
            Johnson pleaded guilty on Jan. 28, 2013, on the day his jury trial was set to begin in Norfolk Federal Court, and was convicted of one count of robbery and two counts of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
            Johnson was charged with committing three different armed robberies in a five-count superseding indictment returned on Sept. 20, 2012.  According to court documents filed with his plea agreement, Johnson robbed an Approved Cash Advance check-cashing business in Norfolk on June 21, 2012, and a 7-Eleven convenience store in Hampton on July 3, 2012.  During both robberies, he possessed and brandished a firearm to employees of the businesses.  Following the 7-Eleven robbery, Johnson was seen entering a vehicle dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, t-shirt and jeans, and wearing a black ski mask and gloves, while armed with a handgun.  A witness followed Johnson’s vehicle and reported it to police.  A high speed chase ensued when Johnson failed to yield to law enforcement.  Attempting to evade authorities, Johnson drove at speeds reaching 100 miles per hour, veered into oncoming traffic, forced several motorists off of the road, and ran numerous red lights while narrowly missing other motorists.  Johnson also drove across the James River Bridge and began throwing items out of the car.  The chase ended 30 minutes later in Chesapeake when Johnson struck a median, lost control of the vehicle, and crashed into several trees.  He then fled the scene on foot but was apprehended by the Virginia State Police. 
            The investigation of this case was led by the ATF’s Washington Field Division, with the assistance of the Hampton Police Division, Norfolk Police Department, Chesapeake Police Department, and the Virginia State Police.  Trial Attorneys Louis Crisostomo of the Organized Crime and Gang Section, and Teresa Wallbaum of the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, both in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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.