June 20, 2014

Two Men Dubbed the Cowboy Gun Bandits Arrested by FBI and LAPD on Federal Indictment That Outlines Series of Armed Robberies

LOS ANGELES—Two men who earned the moniker the “Cowboy Gun Bandits” for brandishing a large-caliber revolver during a series of robberies have been arrested and are due to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court.

Dominic Dorsey, 46, of Hollywood, and Reginald Bailey, 69, of the Jefferson Park district of Los Angeles, were named in a federal grand jury indictment returned on June 3. The two men were taken into custody Thursday by special agents with the FBI and officers with the Los Angeles Police Department.

The indictment alleges a conspiracy to interfere with commerce in violation of the Hobbs Act. The indictment also charges them with five specific Hobbs Act robberies and five counts of using a firearm during the robberies.

The conspiracy count in the indictment alleges that Dorsey and Bailey participated in eight robberies, specifically:

  • a September 30, 2013, robbery at a Papa John’s pizza restaurant in Canyon Country;
  • an October 6, 2013, robbery at an ARCO gas station in Newhall;
  • an October 18, 2013, robbery at a Chevron gas station in Woodland Hills;
  • an October 25, 2013, robbery at an ARCO gas station in Encino;
  • an October 26, 2013, robbery at a Mobil gas station in Thousand Oaks;
  • an October 27, 2013, robbery at a USA Gas station in Earlimart (in California’s Central Valley);
  • an October 28, 2013, robbery at a Valero gas station in Atwater Village;
  • a November 5, 2013, robbery of a Citibank branch in Glendale that netted more than $55,000.

Many of the robberies were captured by video surveillance, which allowed investigators to determine that one of the robbers was missing part of his ring finger on his left hand. The video surveillance evidence helped lead authorities to Bailey, whose left hand is missing a portion of his ring finger.

Each of the Hobbs Act violations—a total of six—carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The gun violations carry potential life sentences but also would bring mandatory minimum sentences of seven years for the first count and 25 years for each of the four additional counts.

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

The investigation into the string of robberies was conducted by Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Crime, which is made up of investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The Glendale Police Department provided substantial assistance during the investigation.