Lamel Miller, Armed Robbery, New York 2020

Two Queens Men Charged in Armed Robbery at Aqueduct Racetrack

NEW YORK - Two men were charged in connection with the armed robbery of over $280,000 in cash from the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, on March 7, 2020.

Lamel Miller, 37, of Queens, New York, and Lafayette Morrison, 37, of Jamaica, Queens, are charged with Hobbs Act robbery in federal court in Brooklyn.

According to court documents, Miller and a co-conspirator held up several racetrack employees, including Morrison, who was employed as a security guard, at gunpoint and took the cash, which was being transported to a vault. Morrison allegedly provided inside information about the money transportation to Miller and the co-conspirator.

The defendants were arrested earlier today and are scheduled to appear in court this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr.

The arrests were announced by Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John B. DeVito, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Miller and Morrison face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's General Crimes Section, with Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. Galeotti in charge of the prosecution.

Mandatory Facts:

1. Defendant/Respondent REAL Full Name: Lamel Miller and Lafayette Morrison

2. Exact Criminal Charges: Hobbs Act robbery

3. City and State: Queens, New York

4. Exact Date with Month/Day/Year: March 7, 2020

5. Sentence or Outcome: Up to 20 years in prison

6. Dollar Amounts: Over $280,000

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/two-queens-men-charged-armed-robbery-aqueduct-racetrack