Accused Armored Car Robbers Indicted

RALEIGH—United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that this week, a federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment charging two defendants in an armored car robbery. CHARLES RICHARD MOORE, JR., 29, and LENARD CORNELIU.S.ITH, 33, both of Timberlake, North Carolina, were each charged with Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951, and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence or possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). Today, both men appeared before United States Magistrate Judge William A. Webb for their initial appearances.

According to the indictment, on June 23, 2011, MOORE and SMITH, wielding a firearm, took approximately $1,210,440 from a Garda armored vehicle when it was located adjacent to the Washington, North Carolina Bank of America automated teller machine.

A third person, Emmanuel Wallace, III, of Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, was charged in a separate indictment on February 15, 2012. He was arrested on February 17, 2012 and is currently being detained. His arraignment is currently set for the April 23, 2012 term of court.

“Today’s arrests would not be possible without the close working relationship between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Criminals who target armored cars think they will get a quick payoff, but end up serving lengthy prison sentences instead,” said Chris Briese, Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Division of the FBI.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force, the Greenville Police Department, the Roxboro Police Department, and the Washington Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney John Bennett is prosecuting the case.