Choppa City Members Found Guilty in Brinks Armored Trucks Robberies

            WASHINGTON – William Brock, 33, Anthony Antwon McNair, 36, and Erin Sheffey, 29, were found guilty by a federal jury today for their involvement in a series of armed robberies of Brinks armored cars in Washington, D.C. that resulted in the loss of approximately $1.2 million. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The jury convicted all three defendants of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery.  The jury also convicted Brock and McNair of interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery), bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth scheduled sentencing for January 15, 2024.

            The offenses related to three robberies of Brinks armored trucks occurring on October 6, 2021, December 8, 2021, and March 2, 2022. In those robberies, the defendants used firearms to assault the drivers of Brinks armored cars and steal money. In total, the defendants stole over $1.2 million.

              According to court documents and the evidence at trial, the three defendants were members of the Choppa City street crew. Brock, McNair, and Sheffey conspired together and with others to plan and carry out the robberies, brandishing firearms on D.C. city streets while doing so.  Each robbery occurred on a Wednesday at approximately 9 a.m. in the morning and two occurred on busy city throughfares, causing a significant risk to the public.  Testimony in the case revealed the conspirators used assault rifles, such as the one pictured below and recovered by law enforcement, to carry out their assault.

An AR-15 Weapon Used by The Defendants During the Armed Robberies

Defendant Brock (Right) and Defendant McNair (Left) robbing a Brinks armored car employee weapon with a firearm on December 8, 2021.  Both Brock and McNair assaulted the driver by beating him with their pistols even after he turned over the delivery bag.

            Defendant Brock planned the robberies for months, learning the routes and timings that the Brinks driver would arrive, in order to ensure the robbery team was in place. When the Brinks driver would exit his armored car vehicle to deliver money to a bank or local business, the robbers would ambush him. In two cases, the defendants assaulted one of the Brink’s drivers, even after he turned over his courier bag, who still carries injures today from being assaulted in the robberies.

            Some of the defendants used social media to show off large sums of money they stole during the robberies and photographed themselves making high-end luxury purchases.  For example, within two days of the robberies, Defendant Brock purchased vehicles in cash totally over $36,000. In addition, a member of Choppa City who was present during the planning of the armed robberies testified against the defendants. 

            This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Cameron Tepfer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Schneider. Valuable assistance was provided by AUSAs Josh Gold, Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, and Thomas Strong.

23cr26