Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of Brockton Cell Phone Store
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with the March 2019 robbery of a T-Mobile store in Brockton and shooting at police officers as he and his co-defendants fled the scene.
Darius Carter, 28, pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery; conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; discharging, brandishing, using and carrying a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence; and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for July 20, 2021.
Darius Carter and co-defendants Diovanni Carter and Stephan Rosser-Stewart were charged in March 2019. Diovanni Carter was convicted by a federal jury and sentenced to 270 months in prison in September 2020. Rosser-Stewart has pleaded not guilty and is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
According to the charging documents, on the evening of Jan. 2019, Darius Carter and Rosser-Stewart entered a T-Mobile store in Brockton. It is alleged the men were carrying a semi-automatic firearm, which they pointed at the store manager as they demanded cash and electronics. Carter struck the store manager in the head with a firearm as he demanded that the manager open the door to a rear room with a large safe containing cell phones and cash. The men allegedly stole approximately $25,000 in cash and electronics, left the store, and fled in a getaway vehicle driven by Diovanni Carter.
Police responded and located the getaway vehicle. A high-speed chase ensued that reached over 70 mph in residential neighborhoods. During the chase, Darius Carter and, allegedly, Rosser-Stewart fired eight rounds at the pursuing police cruisers.
Law enforcement apprehended Darius Carter and Rosser-Stewart and recovered the stolen phones, cash and the three firearms used in robbery. Diovanni Carter was apprehended in March 2019.
Carter and his co-defendants were prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to prior criminal convictions.
The charge of interference with commerce by robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, and a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment ranging from five years for the possession of a firearm, seven years for the brandishing of a firearm to 10 years for the discharge of a firearm. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal of the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald Jr.; and Brockton Police Chief Emanual Gomes made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn MacKinlay, Chief of Mendell’s Organized Crime & Gang Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard, a member of the unit, are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
