Christopher Steward, Armed Robbery, Virginia 2015

A masked man with a plan walked into the Lonestar Steakhouse in Hampton, Virginia, on June 1, 2014, with a firearm, along with an accomplice. The infant child of an off-duty employee and various employees were in the restaurant at the time of the heist. The robbery was carefully planned by Christopher Steward’s girlfriend, Cynthia Presley, a Lonestar employee, and her boyfriend, Christopher Steward.

According to court records and evidence at the three-day jury trial, Steward and his accomplice entered the restaurant armed with firearms, putting everyone in the restaurant at risk. The robbery was a brazen crime that could have had disastrous consequences.

Steward, 24, of Newport News, Va, was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and use, carry and brandish a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years on the conspiracy conviction, 20 years on the robbery conviction, and a mandatory consecutive 7 years in prison on the firearm conviction when he is sentenced on July 1, 2015.

The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Steward’s girlfriend, Cynthia Presley, a Lonestar employee, planned the robbery and provided Steward with the timing of the heist via text message. Presley’s accomplices were unknown at the time of the trial. Presley had previously pled guilty in December 2014 and testified against Steward at trial. Presley was sentenced on March 10, 2015, to 87 months in prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as Norfolk and Hampton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels, and Jennifer Sykes from the Organized Crime and Gang Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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