Three Defendants Indicted in Armed Robbery of Garda Armored Car Facility

SAN FRANCISCO—Arrests were made yesterday morning after a federal grand jury in San Francisco charged Monico Dominguez with robbery affecting interstate commerce, attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce, conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, possession of a firearm in furtherance of the robbery, money laundering, structuring of financial transactions and obstruction of justice, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced. The grand jury also charged two other individuals, Juan Dominguez, Jr. and Shawn Geernaert, with the attempted robbery, robbery conspiracy, and firearms offenses. Geernaert was also charged with narcotics-related offenses.

All three defendants were previously charged by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office with armed robbery-related offenses arising from the August 11, 2011, robbery of the Garda Cash Logistics armored car warehouse in Santa Rosa, California. According to information alleged in the documents filed in that case, Monico Dominguez stole more than $900,000 during the 2011 robbery and planned, with Juan Dominguez, Jr. and others, to steal a Garda armored car during the 2012 attempted robbery.

Each of the defendants made an initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Nathanael M. Cousins in San Francisco, yesterday, and pled not guilty. They are next scheduled to appear in federal court before United States District Court Judge Edward M. Chen at 2:30 p.m. on December 19.

The charges and the possible terms of imprisonment each defendant faces are as follows:

Monico Dominguez

• Two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce: 20 years for each count
• One count of robbery affecting interstate commerce: 20 years
• One count of attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce: 20 years
• Two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of robbery: Life for each, with a mandatory consecutive minimum term of imprisonment of five years for the first count and 25 years for the second count
• Three counts of money laundering: 20 years for each count
• One count of structuring of financial transactions: 10 years

Juan Dominguez, Jr.

• One count of conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce: 20 years
• One count of attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce: 20 years
• One count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of robbery: Life, with a mandatory consecutive minimum term of imprisonment of five years

Shawn Geernaert

• One count of conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce: 20 years
• One count of attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce: 20 years
• One count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute: 20 years
• One count of maintaining a drug-involved premises near a school or playground: 40 years, with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of one year

Assistant United States Attorney Randy Luskey is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Daniel Charlier-Smith. Special Assistant United States Attorney Arvon Perteet is handling the asset forfeiture aspects of the case. The prosecution is the result of a year-long joint investigation by the Santa Rosa Police Department, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Santa Rosa Resident Agency.

Please note, an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, those named herein must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.