Metro Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison for Robbery of Midwest City Business

OKLAHOMA CITY – MARKEZ LOUISE THOMPSON, 21, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for robbery affecting interstate commerce, announced Robert J. Troester of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

On May 18, 2017, a grand jury indicted Thompson on two counts: robbery affecting interstate commerce and the use of a firearm during the commission of that offense.  On July 31, 2017, he pleaded guilty to the robbery count.  According to court filings, Thompson and an accomplice robbed an Ace Cash Express in Midwest City on the morning of April 19, 2017.  They confronted an employee with firearms and stole approximately $31,000 from the safe.  When police pursued Thompson on foot, he took shelter along the exterior of a local daycare.  He surrendered after a two-hour standoff with police.  Officers found $32,411 in his backpack, along with a MoneyGram card stolen from Ace Cash Express.

A year before the Midwest City robbery, Thompson was indicted for a similar crime in the Western District of Texas.  On January 10, 2018, that case was transferred to the Western District of Oklahoma, where Thompson pleaded guilty. 

On March 26, 2019, U.S. District Judge Robin J. Cauthron sentenced Thompson to 84 months in federal prison based on both criminal cases.  After release from prison, Thompson will serve three years of supervised release.  He was also ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution.

This case is a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Midwest City Police Department.  Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Altshuler, the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on the most violent offenders and partners with local prevention and re-entry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Reference is made to public filings for further information.