San Pedro Man Sentenced to Nearly 15 Years in Federal Prison for Committing Armed Robbery Where a Victim Was Shot and Wounded

SANTA ANA, California – A San Pedro man has been sentenced to 177 months in federal prison for – while on parole from a life sentence in state prison for armed robbery – robbing an armored truck in Harbor City last year in which the truck’s driver was shot and suffered serious injuries, the Justice Department announced today.

Gregory James, 48, was sentenced Monday afternoon by United States District Judge David O. Carter.

James pleaded guilty on June 12 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He has been in federal custody since October 2022.

On October 17, 2022, James and co-defendant Lamond Akins, 31, of Compton, robbed a Loomis armored truck after the truck driver had finished servicing an ATM at a Bank of America branch in Harbor City. James and Akins waited for the driver to finish his ATM work, and then – both brandishing firearms – approached the driver and robbed him.

During the robbery, the victim was shot and wounded. James and Akins stole a bag filled with approximately $145,000 in cash that belonged to the Loomis company – which operates in 40 states and three nations – before driving away from the scene.

The victim truck driver experienced significant bodily injury because of the shooting and required surgery.

Akins also pleaded guilty on June 12 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. On October 27, Judge Carter sentenced Akins to 177 months in federal prison.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI investigated this matter. The Gardena Police Department provided substantial assistance.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeremiah M. Levine of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.