HOUSTON – Two 20-year-old men who pointed shotguns at people during a November 2008 robbery at Investex CU pleaded guilty yesterday to aggravated bank robbery charges in the $202,250 heist.
The two were allegedly put up to the robbery by their friend who worked in the credit union who is also believed to have planned a robbery three months earlier when $126,750 was stolen. Dorcell Johnson, the credit union employee, is scheduled to go on trial for both robberies later this year.
Yesterday, Dominque Ervin and Carl Preston, Jr., told U.S. District Judge David Hittner that they worked with Johnson and planned the later heist that netted $202,250. The two burst into the credit union wearing masks that day and pointed their shotguns at a security guard and their employee accomplice. Ervin shot out a surveillance camera.
After getting away, the two men bought cars with their share of the money and the government sought forfeiture of a 1989 Cadillac and two Impalas.
During the trial, an FBI agent testified that police became suspicious of Johnson when they watched surveillance tapes of the heist because he appeared to be unafraid during the robbery.
In the earlier robbery, a lone gunman, who police believe was working with Johnson, approached Johnson outside the credit union on August 28 and forced Johnson into the credit union, then into the vault room before escaping with $126,750.
When police searched Johnson’s apartment after the second robbery they found a safe containing some of the stolen credit union cash. Johnson confessed to staging the two robberies to make it appear he wasn’t involved, then identified his two accomplices.
