3 From Louisiana Sentenced in Connection with 2013 Murder of Loomis Armored Guard

Louisiana – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on April 20, 2022, Jeremy Esteves, age 35, Robert Brumfield, III, age 28, and Jasmine Theophile, age 29, all of New Orleans, Louisiana, were sentenced on April 21, 20222, by U.S. District Judge Lance Africk for their roles in the December 2013 armed robbery of a Loomis Armored vehicle at Chase Bank, 2331 S. Carrollton, Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, which resulted in the death of Loomis guard Hector Trochez.

Esteves, who was found guilty by a jury at trial in November 2019 of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of commerce by robbery, murder, and violations of the Federal Gun Control Act, was sentenced to 600 months imprisonment, a five-year term of supervised release following imprisonment, a $300 mandatory special assessment fee, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $277,000.00.

Brumfield, who was also convicted at trial in November 2019 of conspiracy to obstruct commerce by robbery, was sentenced to 240 months imprisonment, a three year term of supervised release following imprisonment, a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $277,000.00.

Theophile, the former girlfriend of co-defendant Lilbear George, previously pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and was sentenced to a five year term of probation, which includes six months in the custody of a halfway house. She was further ordered to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court documents, Esteves and co-defendants Lilbear George, Chukwudi Ofomata, and Curtis Johnson, Jr. robbed a Loomis armored vehicle as it was delivering approximately $265,000 to the Chase Bank at the intersection of S. Carrollton and S. Claiborne Avenues on December 18, 2013. As Trochez was about to make the delivery, George and Ofomata, both armed, exited Esteves’ Chevy Tahoe and ordered Trochez to hand over the money.

Trochez drew his weapon and opened fire on the robbers. Ofomata and George retaliated by firing at Trochez. To keep the driver inside the Loomis truck, Johnson fired at it. Trochez was killed on the left side of his forehead and received a graze wound to his elbow. Before re-entering the Tahoe, one of the robbers ran to the back of the Loomis truck and took possession of the money bag. The robbers ran away from the Chase Bank parking lot.

A witness seated in a vehicle at the intersection of S. Claiborne and S. Carrollton Avenues witnessed the shooting and described the shooters and the vehicle they were in. That witness pursued the Chevy Tahoe as it fled the scene of the shooting/robbery. During the flight of the vehicle, one of the shooters fired at the witness’s vehicle in an attempt to dissuade the witness from following. The witness saw the Chevy Tahoe arrive in the 1700 block of Adams Street and saw the four robbers exit and enter the awaiting Honda Accord driven by Brumfield. The Honda Accord drove away from the Adams Street address, leaving the Chevy Tahoe behind.

The Tahoe was recovered and searched by the New Orleans Police Department in accordance with a federal search warrant. During the search, FBI agents discovered that the vehicle’s steering wheel column had been compromised. Agents discovered two screwdrivers and a bandana on the floorboard and a bandana on the console. The items were collected and sent to the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory for DNA testing. One of the screwdrivers contained an unknown DNA profile, which was later confirmed to be George’s. Similarly, the DNA recovered from the bandana was confirmed to be Johnson’s.

George and Ofomata, co-defendants, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 480 months in prison. Defendant Johnson was found guilty at trial in March 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2022.

The work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police was lauded by U.S. Attorney Evans. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brittany L. Reed, Gregory M. Kennedy, and Inga Petrovich.