2 plead guilty in 2009 robbery of armored car at Palace Station
Two of three defendants charged in the 2009 robbery of an armored car driver outside Palace Station have pleaded guilty.
Both defendants, Arquarius Robertson, 31, and William Morrow, 37, wore theatrical makeup, wigs and gloves to disguise their appearances during the Dec. 14, 2009, heist, according to authorities. They took $36,000 from the driver of a Garda armored vehicle as the driver was leaving Palace Station with the money and checks.
Robertson, who also wore a fake belly and sunglasses, fired off a warning shot into the air before Morrow drove away in the getaway car, a 2004 Chrysler Sebring, court documents show.
The security guard was not hurt.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to two felonies — conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Robertson entered his plea on Friday; Morrow on Tuesday.
They are to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey on June 22. The firearms charge draws a minimum seven-year prison term on top of the conspiracy count.
In court Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Dickinson said Morrow agreed to cooperate in the case. Another defendant, Robertson’s brother Cortaz Robertson, is waiting to stand trial. Prosecutors allege he was a lookout during the robbery.
Both Robertson and Morrow agreed to pay restitution to Palace Station and to forfeit $36,323.
Court documents show that Robertson and Morrow in 2009 drove to a “drop house” a half-mile away, parked the car in the garage and passed the loot over a wall to another conspirator, who drove away in a white van.
The men were arrested in 2013 after the FBI and Las Vegas police received a tip about their involvement.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Find him on Twitter: @JGermanRJ
