Federal Robbery and Gun Charges Filed Against Four Persons for Robberies of Four Las Vegas Convenience Stores

LAS VEGAS—A federal indictment has been returned against three men and one woman for the robberies of four convenience stores in Las Vegas on Friday, April 6, 2012, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Delon Hunter, 18, of Henderson; William Bonaparte, 25; and Michael Hall, 26, both of Las Vegas; and Erica Bowden-Payne, 25, of North Las Vegas, are charged in the indictment returned yesterday with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, four counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and four counts of interference with commerce by robbery. If convicted of all the offenses, they face a minimum of 107 years in prison. The defendants are scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge on the charges Friday, April 27 at 3:00 p.m. They are currently in state custody.

The defendants are charged with committing the robberies of three Terrible Herbst stores and one City Stop. All four robberies occurred in less than one hour. In each robbery, Hunter allegedly pointed a handgun at Bonaparte, who was posing as a customer. Hunter threatened to shoot Bonaparte if the store employee did not turn over money and other items. A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer observed the last robbery in progress near Cheyenne Road and Buffalo Drive and confronted the defendants as they were leaving the store. The defendants fled in a vehicle and led officers on a high-speed chase before their vehicle came to a stop near Tenaya Way and Rainbow Boulevard. Three of the defendants fled on foot and were apprehended nearby. The fourth defendant, Bowden-Payne, remained in the vehicle and was apprehended there.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cristina D. Silva. The case was screened through the Southern Nevada Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, a team of federal and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors who meet on a regular basis to discuss arrests involving guns and explosives. Project Safe Neighborhoods, also known as PSN, is a Department of Justice initiative and a nationwide commitment to reduce gun and gang crime in America.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.