LOS ANGELES
Four defendants from Los Angeles County were arrested Tuesday on a nine-count indictment charging them with allegedly committing armed robberies of several businesses – mostly 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles, federal officials stated.
During a nearly two-month crime spree late last year, they allegedly posted photographs on Instagram of themselves holding stolen cash.
The indictment, returned July 10 and unsealed today, charges the following defendants with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act):
- Charles Christopher, 24, of Compton
- D’Angelo Spencer, 26, of South Los Angeles
- Jordan Leonard, 25, of Torrance
- Tazjar Rouse, 22, of Hollywood
The defendants have also been charged with various counts of the Hobbs Act, including robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. A Sept. 17 trial was scheduled.
Rouse made his initial appearance Tuesday in federal court in Kansas City, Missouri. Spencer is expected to be arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
“Violent gun crime leaves lasting emotional and psychological scars for victims,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Anyone thinking that violent robberies are a good way to make money should take note that there will be consequences for your actions.”
According to the indictment, from November 4, 2023, to December 24, 2023, the defendants committed a series of armed robberies, mostly of 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles.
One victimized store was a CVS in Hollywood.
The defendants traveled to the targeted stores in a BMW, jumped over the counters, took money from the stores’ cash registers, and placed it in a black Nike bag.
One of the defendants, usually either Christopher or Leonard, allegedly pointed a firearm at a store employee or customer and demanded either their cell phone or their wallet.
On November 28, 2023, following the robbery of a 7-Eleven store in South Los Angeles earlier that day, Leonard posted a photograph on Instagram with stacks of cash, captioned his post “love my bros we go hit every time,” and tagged the Instagram accounts of Christopher and Spencer, the indictment alleges.
In total, the defendants allegedly netted approximately $7,617 in cash during the crime spree.
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each Hobbs Act-related count and – for each firearm brandishing count – a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities, with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime.
A relatively small number of particularly violent people commit the most devastating and horrific crimes in this area.
This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions, and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct.
It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.
The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mirelle N. Raza of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.