Three Plead Guilty to String of Armored Car Robberies

ALEXANDRIA, VA—A third co-conspirator pleaded guilty today in connection with a string of Loomis armored car robberies in northern Virginia. The conspirators stole approximately $360,000 in three separate robberies, each occurring when a Loomis armored car employee was in the process of loading an ATM machine with money.

Today, Carlic Darnell Brown, age 25, of Prince William County, Va., pleaded guilty using a firearm in the course of two of the armed robberies, and in a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Brown admitted to participating in all three of the robberies. Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Joseph Persichini Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge James C. Cacheris. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 28, 2009. Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 32 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

According to court documents, Brown conspired with Christopher Blakeney, age 21, of Prince William County, Va., and Michael Blakeney, age 20, of New York, to steal money from Loomis armored cars. The conspirators – at times wearing all black clothing and black-and-white masks that resembled a skull – pointed firearms at Loomis employees while the employees were in the process of filling an ATM, took a bag full of money and fled the scene. After their arrest, searches of the residences of Brown and Christopher Blakeney yielded two semi-automatic handguns, one shotgun, and rubber skull masks, among other things.

The first robbery occurred on April 4, 2007, near a Wachovia ATM in Lorton, Va., where a Loomis employee was robbed of approximately $80,000. The second occurred on Feb. 1, 2008, near a Navy Federal Credit Union ATM in Fairfax, Va., and involved $120,000. The third, involving $160,000, occurred on April 1, 2009, near a Bank of America ATM in Prince William County, Va.

Brown is the third to plead guilty in connection with this case. On May 13, 2009, Christopher Blakeney pleaded guilty to using a firearm in the course of two armed robberies of Loomis armored cars. In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Christopher Blakeney admitted to participating in all three of the robberies. His sentencing is set for Aug. 7, 2009 before United States District Judge James C. Cacheris. Christopher Blakeney faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 32 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

On May 6, 2009, Michael Blakeney, who is Christopher Blackeney’s cousin, pleaded guilty to using a firearm in the course of the April 1, 2009, robbery and has not admitted involvement in the previous two robberies. His sentencing is set for July 17, 2009 before United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. Michael Blakeney faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

This case was investigated by the Washington Field Office of the FBI, Prince William County, Fairfax City, Fairfax County and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch and Jonathan Fahey are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.