A Los Angeles County man who posted a photo of himself on Instagram with stacks of suspected stolen cash pleaded guilty Tuesday to committing armed robberies of local stores.
Jordan Leonard, 26, of Torrance entered a plea to federal counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and interference with commerce by robbery, known as a Hobbs Act crime, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A sentencing hearing was scheduled for June 9 in downtown Los Angeles.
Charles Christopher, 25, of Compton; D’Angelo Spencer, 27, of South Los Angeles; and Tazjar Rouse, 23, of Hollywood, were also charged with Hobbs Act and firearm brandishing counts.
According to the indictment, the defendants committed a series of armed robberies in winter 2023, mostly of 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles and a CVS in Hollywood. The defendants traveled to the targeted stores in a BMW, jumped over the counters, took money from the cash registers, and placed the cash into a black Nike bag, prosecutors said.
A defendant thought to be either Leonard or Christopher pointed a firearm at a store employee or customer and demanded their phone or wallet, the indictment filed in L.A. federal court states.
Prosecutors say that on Nov. 28, 2023, following the robbery of a 7-Eleven store in South Los Angeles, Leonard posted a photograph on Instagram with stacks of suspected stolen cash, captioned “love my bros we go hit every time.” He also tagged the Instagram accounts of Christopher and Spencer, the indictment states.
In total, the defendants allegedly netted about $7,617 in cash during the crime spree, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
If convicted, the defendants would face up to 20 years in federal prison for each Hobbs Act-related count and — for each firearm count — a sentence between seven years and life imprisonment, prosecutors noted.
“Violent gun crime leaves lasting emotional and psychological scars for victims,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement when the indictment was unsealed in July. “Anyone thinking that violent robberies are a good way to make money should take note that there will be consequences for your actions.”
Rouse is expected to plead guilty in the case on Friday. A June trial date is currently set for Christopher and Spencer.