A federal grand jury in Brooklyn, NY, on October 21 convicted a man of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the theft of more than $280,000 in cash at Aqueduct race track after a race day more than two years ago, according to a statement from the Justice Department.
The convict, Lafayette Morrison, is accused of working with Lamel Miller to steal money shipped to the vault at the end of the races for the day on March 7, 2020, the day of the Gotham Stakes (G3). .
Morrison and Miller were also found guilty of swinging a firearm and Morrison obstructing justice, the statement said. Miller was guilty of the robbery in September.
Morrison, who was employed as a race track security guard, posed as a victim when Miller and another accomplice confronted a group of officers with guns after hiding in the stairs, the Justice Department statement said.
“Their armed robbery at Aqueduct Racetrack played out like a Hollywood heist, but with a dire ending for the defendants who now face high prison sentences,” said Breon Peace, United States Attorney States for the Eastern District of New York, said.
According to the Justice Department, the proceeds of the robbery were split between Miller, an accomplice, and Morrison.
When convicted, Miller and Morrison faced minimum sentences ranging from seven years to life in prison.
