June 9, 2024 - LOS ANGELES – A member of a group law enforcement officials dubbed the “Chesapeake Bandits” was sentenced last Friday to 166 months in federal prison for acting as a lookout in an armed robbery of an armored truck that netted the group more than $160,000 in cash and during which a handgun was fired.

James Russell Davis, 35, of the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha, who also ordered Davis to pay $166,640 in restitution.

Davis pleaded guilty on February 16 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He has been in federal custody since March 2023.

“When people commit crimes with guns, tragedies happen,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “This is why it is so important that we bring the weight of federal prosecution against the perpetrators of violent gun crime. My office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to make our cities safer.”

“Imagine the terror of being pulled to the ground with a gun pointed at your head. Davis and his accomplices violently ambushed an individual just doing his job so they could make off with other people’s money,” said Krysti Hawkins, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “This significant sentence cannot undo the emotional and psychological damage inflicted on the victim, but we hope it sends a clear message that we will continue to pursue the most violent and persistent offenders and hold them accountable for their blatant disregard for human life and the safety of our communities.”

“I am proud of the work and dedication of our investigators and the unwavering support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office as we work together to stop criminals who take away the feeling of safety in our communities,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic H. Choi.

In February 2022, Davis and a co-conspirator scoped out a credit union in Hawthorne, and planned to ambush the truck driver after he finished servicing an ATM.

Several weeks later, Davis and his accomplices returned to the site, executing their planned armed robbery of the same armored truck driver refilling ATMs. Davis maintained a lookout position, conducting counter-surveillance nearby, while his partners, armed with an AR-style rifle and a semi-automatic handgun, emerged from their vehicle.

During the robbery, one of the conspirators forced the victim to the ground by pressing a firearm to his head while a co-conspirator took the victim’s service pistol from his waistband, and kept a gun pointed at the victim to restrain him during the robbery.

Davis’ co-conspirators then took cash and customer checks from the ATMs and bags nearby. During the robbery, Davis’ co-conspirator discharged one of the handguns he was carrying.

Davis’ co-conspirators stole bags filled with a total of approximately $166,640 in cash belonging to the armored car company.

Deneyvous Jayan Hobson, 38, also of the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, this case’s lead defendant, has pleaded not guilty to charges in this case. His trial is scheduled for September 3. Hobson is charged with one count of Hobbs Act conspiracy, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. 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, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Hawthorne Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Jason C. Pang of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Source: DOJ