Four Houston Men, Jewelry Store Robbery, Louisiana 2020
LAKE CHARLES, La. - In a brazen daylight robbery, four men from Houston, Texas, stole over $350,000 worth of Rolex watches from a Lake Charles jewelry store on June 8, 2020.
The defendants, Phaezon Stewart, 24, Joshua Evans, 35, Cary S. Nimmons, Jr., 32, and Johnson Moore, 25, all pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery.
On the date of the robbery, Stewart entered the store armed with a black Springfield XD handgun and ordered the employees to get on the ground. Evans and Terry, a co-conspirator, entered the store wearing masks and armed with hammers and one carrying a backpack. While Stewart pointed the firearm at the employee victims, the others used hammers to break the glass display cases and remove over 34 Rolex watches with an estimated value of over $350,000.
The defendants then exited the store and fled the scene in a white Porsche. They were later tracked down by law enforcement agents and arrested in Lake Charles. Terry was found hiding in a shed with the backpack containing 32 of the 34 stolen Rolex watches.
The four men received lengthy federal prison sentences. Phaezon Stewart was sentenced to 151 months (12 years, 7 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Joshua Evans was sentenced to 137 months (11 years, 5 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Cary S. Nimmons, Jr. was sentenced to 105 months (8 years, 9 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Johnson Moore was sentenced to 135 months (11 years, 2 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lake Charles Police Department, and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen.
Trevione James Terry, a co-conspirator in this case, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10, 2024, at 1:30, for his involvement in this robbery, as well as the robbery of Korman Fine Jewelry in Austin, Texas on May 7, 2020.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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