Justin Washington, Armed Robbery, California 2020

A five-day armed robbery spree left a trail of destruction in its wake, with Justin Washington, 32, of Gardena, at the helm. The defendant, named in a 14-count federal grand jury indictment returned on July 6, is charged with 11 counts of Hobbs Act robbery and three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to the indictment, between November 30 and December 4, 2020, Washington robbed and attempted to rob 10 businesses in the South Bay and in South Los Angeles. His alleged robbery spree began at the same Gardena grocery store, robbed on consecutive days on November 30 and December 1.

Washington allegedly held the stores’ employees against their will, including, as charged in three counts, at gunpoint. The total loss alleged in the indictment is approximately $5,679.

The defendant’s alleged robbery spree continued with the robbery of a 7-Eleven store, a donut shop, and the attempted robbery of a veterinarian’s office in Gardena. He then went on to rob a donut shop in Torrance, and, in South Los Angeles, a wireless phone store, a dry cleaner business, two additional donut shops, and a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A violation of the Hobbs Act carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The offense of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

Justin Washington is currently in custody on separate state charges and is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks. The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Torrance Police Department, the Gardena Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sara B. Milstein of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.

Justin Washington, 32, of Gardena, was named in a 14-count federal grand jury indictment returned on July 6 and is charged with 11 counts of Hobbs Act robbery and three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence. The defendant’s alleged crimes occurred between November 30 and December 4, 2020, and resulted in a total loss of approximately $5,679. Washington is currently in custody on separate state charges and is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks.

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