Two men have been convicted of robbing an off-duty Secret Service agent at gunpoint after a Los Angeles fundraiser attended by President Joe Biden. The robbery took place in a residential neighborhood in Tustin, California, and the suspects stole the agent’s laptop bag, cell phone, radio, and other belongings. DNA evidence connected Jamonte Fitzgerald Johnson, a “third striker” with prior serious felony convictions, to the robbery. He was found guilty of second-degree robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon, and personal use of a firearm, facing a maximum sentence of 35 years to life. Another suspect, E’shon Dwayne Dodson, was also convicted of robbery and faces up to six years in prison.
During the robbery, the agent fired shots that wounded a man named Bertran Claude Bell, who was in the SUV with the suspects. Bell pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and was sentenced to six years in prison. The arrests and convictions were part of a swift and decisive response by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The men’s attorneys have not commented on the case. The District Attorney emphasized that crime does not pay in Orange County and that justice will be served promptly. Overall, the convictions serve as an example of the consequences of committing crimes in the area.
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