DC men behind $1.2M Brink's robbery spree sentenced to decades in prison
Two Washington D.C. men were handed hefty prison sentences Wednesday for brazen robberies of Brink's vehicles, stealing more than $1 million from the armored cars, the Justice Department said.
William Brock, 33, and Anthony Antwon McNair Jr., 36, were found guilty by a federal jury in September 2024 of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery), bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. On Wednesday, Brock and McNair were sentenced to more than 54 years and over 31 years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the robberies, the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia said in a statement.
In addition to the prison sentences, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Brock and McNair to each serve three years of supervised release and pay $1.2 million in restitution, according to the news release. The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
In January, Erin Sheffey, a third defendant in the case, was given an 18-year prison sentence for his role in the Washington D.C. robberies.
Prosecutors: Men showed off money they stole on social media
According to prosecutors, three Brink’s truck robberies in Washington D.C. occurred between October 2021 and March 2022, where "the defendants used firearms to assault the drivers of Brink’s armored cars and steal money." Each robbery occurred on a Wednesday at about 9 a.m., with two thefts happening on city roads that caused a significant risk to the public.
Prosecutors said Brock planned the robberies for months, and learned the routes and arrival times of the Brink’s drivers to ensure the robbers were in place. Once a Brink’s driver exited an armored vehicle to deliver money to a business, prosecutors said robbers ambushed them, with testimony in the case later revealing that the conspirators used assault rifles to carry out their robberies.
In total, more than $1.2 million was stolen.
According to prosecutors, the three men were members of the Choppa City street crew and flaunted their robbery scores online.
"Members of the crew used social media to show off large sums of money they stole during the robberies and photographed themselves making high-end luxury purchases," the U.S. Attorney's Office added in Wednesday's news release. "Within two days of the robberies, Brock purchased vehicles in cash totaling over $36,000."
Prosecutors added that the men attempted to intimidate witnesses leading up to their trial, the attempts cited as bases for their decades-long sentences.
Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at knurse@USATODAY.com. Follow her on X @KrystalRNurse, and on BlueSky @krystalrnuse.bsky.social.