Fort Worth newlyweds took almost $1 million in armored truck heist, feds say
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Fort Worth TX May 14 2020
A newlywed Fort Worth couple accused of robbing a North Texas armored truck of almost $1 million in December have been indicted on federal charges of robbery.
A federal grand jury in Amarillo indicted 38-year-old Lakee Ealey and his wife, 33-year-old Crystal Ealey, on a charges of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Armed robbers stole $933,000 from a Brink’s armored truck during a brazen holdup on Dec. 21, authorities said.
Crystal Ealey, who had been a Brink’s messenger, was fired by the company on June 15, 2019, after an internal investigation revealed the loss of about $25,000 in the company, but no charges were filed against her, according to federal court documents.
In addition to the Fort Worth couple, who were married in March 2019, 21-year-old Rodrick Rashad McKinney also was indicted on the same federal charges.
Additional indictments are expected, according to federal court documents.
Federal grand jurors returned the indictments last week.
If convicted, the suspects face a maximum of 47 years in federal prison.
The robbery occurred at 8:15 a.m. on Dec. 21 in the ATM drive-through lane at Chase Bank, 616 N. Denton Tap Road, in Coppell.
A Brink’s employee reported he left the Irving facility at 6 a.m., then made stops in Flower Mound, Lewisville and then Coppell.
After stopping at the drive-through, the Brink’s employee was servicing the ATM when an armed man wearing a mask approached him. Three other robbers then approached.
Once the employee was down on the ground, one of the robbers left and drove back in a truck
The robbers then demanded that the employee show them how to access the Brink’s truck’s security door, according to court documents.
Three robbers entered the truck while one kept watch. They took the money from the truck, but they did not take any money from the ATM.
After grabbing the money, the four robbers jumped into their truck and fled the scene.
A short time later, authorities found the robbers’ burned out truck abandoned in Dallas. The truck had been stolen out of Dallas just five days before the robbery.
Just weeks after the holdup, the suspects were tracked down by local, state and federal authorities who used business surveillance videos, cell phone information and toll road surveillance videos.
