From the U.S. Attorney comes this information about fourteen robberies:
Superseding Indictment Charges Fourth Member of Robbery Crew Allegedly Responsible for Eight-Month Robbery Spree in Chicago
CHICAGO — A federal superseding indictment unsealed today charges a fourth member of a robbery crew allegedly responsible for violently robbing multiple liquor stores, convenience stores, and bars in Chicago.
XAVIER HARRIS conspired with his brother, ARDARIES HARRIS, and JORDAN FOX and ROOSEVELT VEAL to rob more than a dozen Chicago businesses in 2023 and 2024, according to the superseding indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The robbers used stolen cars as getaway vehicles, wore masks, and brandished firearms in the heists.
In some of the robberies, members of the crew fired shots from machine guns, the indictment states.
Ardaries Harris, 27, of Chicago, Fox, 25, of Chicago, and Veal 27, of Rockford, Ill., were originally charged last year with conspiracy, robbery, and firearm offenses in connection with five robberies or attempted robberies.
The superseding indictment adds Xavier Harris as a defendant, charges ten additional robberies or attempted robberies, and raises the mandatory minimum sentence for Ardaries Harris, Fox, and Veal to thirty years each.
Xavier Harris faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 21 years.
The maximum sentence for each of the defendants is life in prison.
Xavier Harris, 26, of Chicago, was arrested on Thursday.
He was arraigned today in federal court and pleaded not guilty to the charges in the superseding indictment.
The three other defendants were already in federal custody and will be arraigned at a later date.
According to the superseding indictment, the defendants conspired to commit the following robberies or attempted robberies in Chicago:
- Aug. 24, 2023: Ace’s Liquor and Tap, 4400 block of West Armitage Avenue.
- Nov. 24, 2023: Super Saving Food, 4400 block of West Belmont Avenue.
- Jan. 10, 2024: A&R Food Mart, 5900 block of West Grand Avenue.
- Jan. 11, 2024: Central Extra Value Food and Liquor, 2900 block of North Central Avenue.
- Jan. 13, 2024: Buchanas Food & Liquor, 1800 block of West 47th Street.
- Jan. 15, 2024: Mr. P Beverage Depot, 2000 block of West Division Street.
- Jan. 15, 2024: Before You Go Liquor, 1900 block of West Fullerton Avenue.
- Jan. 15, 2024: Clybourn Market, 2800 block of North Clybourn Avenue.
- May 3, 2024: Humboldt Haus Liquor, 2900 block of West North Avenue.
- May 3, 2024: Gladstone Food Mart, 5700 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.
- May 4, 2024: Irish Nobleman Pub, 1300 block of West Erie Street.
- May 7, 2024: Buchanas Food & Liquor, 1800 block of West 47th Street.
- May 7, 2024: El Trebol Liquors and Bar, 1100 block of West 18th Street.
- May 7, 2024: Community Food and Liquor, 5500 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.
- May 9, 2024: Basil Food & Liquor, 7700 block of North Western Avenue.
The superseding indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, the Illinois State Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service’s Great Lakes Regional Task Force. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily C.R. Vermylen and Stephanie Stern.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The case was also conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago (CGIC), a centralized law enforcement hub that focuses exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
