Federal and International

U.S. Attorney Joseph Hogsett Announces Federal Charges Against Five in Fishers Bank Robbery Conspiracy


Indianapolis, IN-(ENEWSPF)- Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, announced today that federal charges have been filed against five individuals who allegedly attempted to rob a bank in Fishers last week. Xavier Hardy, age 26, and Duryea Rogers, age 26, have both been charged with armed bank robbery and using a firearm in a crime of violence. Deandre Armour, age 37; Tahitia Burnett, age 40; and Olivia Haiflich, age 20, have all been charged with aiding and abetting that robbery, as well as using a firearm in a crime of violence.

“The allegations in this case describe a sophisticated scheme run by a group that had no regard for the law or the safety of others,” Hogsett said. “Thankfully, this case is also a great example of how effective law enforcement can be when it works together, and that is exactly what our Violent Crime Initiative is designed to accomplish.”

According to the criminal complaint, Hardy and Rogers allegedly surprised a bank employee on June 26, 2013, as that employee was unlocking the back door of a Fishers bank. Pointing a gun at the employee’s side, they said, “Don’t panic, you’ll be alright, just open the door.” The employee complied, and all three individuals allegedly entered the bank.

The two defendants allegedly ordered the employee to disarm the building’s security system and unlock the vault. When the employee responded that the vault required two passcodes to open, the defendants allegedly began yelling at the employee. The defendants then grabbed the employee’s purse, taking her car keys and identification. The robbers took the employee to a break room, where they zip-tied her hands and feet together before fleeing the building.

The complaint alleges that after the defendants exited the building, they took the bank employee’s vehicle and began driving north. They were followed by two other vehicles that had allegedly been observed by law enforcement in recent days conducting surveillance on the bank.

At this point, several Fishers Police Department tactical teams, along with surveillance units with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, began a pursuit of the three vehicles.

Law enforcement initiated a takedown of the vehicle being driven by the two alleged robbers, and Hardy was arrested at that time. Rogers allegedly fled into a nearby hotel, and law enforcement secured the premises and began a search for the defendant. Rogers was eventually found hiding on a stack of boxes, in a closet room, underneath a laundry chute that led to the second floor. Located nearby was a .40 caliber pistol, as well as clothing matching that of one of the robbers captured by the bank’s surveillance cameras.

The other two vehicles observed leaving the bank after the attempted robbery were stopped by officers and agents with the Fishers Police Department and FBI, and the occupants were ordered out at gunpoint. The driver of the first vehicle was defendant Burnett, and defendant Armour was a passenger in that sports utility vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle was identified as defendant Haiflich.

The criminal complaint indicates that federal authorities first became aware of the defendants after a confidential informant indicated they were planning a number of bank robberies in the month of June. A number of the defendants had allegedly been stopped earlier this year by Kokomo Police Department officers as they were observed driving around a rural bank in the middle of the night.

This prosecution comes as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Violent Crime Initiative and is the result of a collaborative investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Fishers Police Department and other local partners.

Announced in March 2011, the Violent Crime Initiative represents a district-wide strategy to work with local law enforcement and county prosecutors to combat drug traffickers and criminals that use and carry firearms in their illegal activities. The VCI has produced a dramatic increase in the number of gun-related charges brought federally. In the year preceding the initiative, there were just 14 defendants charged with federal gun crimes by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In the two years since, more than 200 defendants have been charged.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Brant Cook and Will McCoskey, who are prosecuting the case for the government, all five defendants could face up to life imprisonment if convicted on all counts. All five defendants are scheduled to have detention hearings before a Magistrate Judge tomorrow, Wednesday, July 3, at 2:00 p.m.

A criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.


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