61-Year-Old Faces Life in Prison After Robbing Armored Courier Near LAX
An Inglewood man who was released early from federal prison in 2022 has been found guilty of robbing a Brinks courier at gunpoint near Los Angeles International Airport last year, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Markham David Bond, 61, was convicted Thursday on charges of interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, using a firearm during a violent crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Bond, who has been in federal custody since November 2023, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison at his sentencing hearing scheduled for July 11, 2025.
“After being given a second chance in life, this defendant sadly chose a path of violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Through our strong partnerships with federal and local law enforcement, we will continue to use our resources to protect our community by holding accountable violent offenders who use guns.”
According to evidence presented during the five-day trial, the robbery occurred on the morning of Aug. 18, 2023, outside a Chase bank near LAX. A Brinks armored vehicle employee was unloading a blue duffle bag containing approximately $145,000 in cash when Bond approached, pointed a handgun at the worker, and demanded the money.
The victim dropped the bag and complied with Bond’s orders to get on the ground. Bond then grabbed the duffle bag and fled the scene.
Bond was arrested on Nov. 22, 2023. At his residence, authorities recovered a .40-caliber pistol with 10 rounds of ammunition, cash hidden in a mini-refrigerator, and the shirt Bond wore during the robbery. Police also found the getaway vehicle parked nearby, which contained the Brinks bag, Bond’s hat, and other evidence linking him to the crime.
Bond’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions from the 1980s and 1990s, including Hobbs Act robbery, armed bank robbery, and firearms offenses. He had been serving a 46-year sentence before being granted compassionate release in January 2022. At the time of the robbery, Bond was on supervised release.
The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division investigated the case as part of Operation Safe Cities, an initiative targeting individuals responsible for violent crimes involving firearms and robbery crews.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Haoxiaohan H. Cai and Daniel H. Weiner are prosecuting the case.
