Two New Orleans Men Sentenced in Connection with the 2013 Murder of Loomis Armored Guard
NEW ORLEANS, LA Oct 3 2021– United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today, that on September 30, 2021, LILBEAR GEORGE, 31, and CHUKWUDI OFOMATA, 35, both of New Orleans, were each sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lance Africk to 480-month terms of imprisonment. Both men previously pleaded guilty to Using, Carrying, Brandishing, and Discharging of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(c)(1)(A)(iii), 924(j)(1), and 2, which resulted in death, to wit: the December 18, 2013 murder of Hector Trochez. After their terms of imprisonment, GEORGE and OFOMATA will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years. They each must pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. The Court ordered that restitution be paid to Loomis Armored in the amount of $265,000.
According to court documents, on the morning of December 18, 2013, GEORGE and OFOMATA robbed the Loomis armored vehicle as it was making a delivery of approximately $265,000 to the Chase Bank branch located at the intersection of S. Carrollton and S. Claiborne Avenues. GEORGE and OFOMATA learned about the Loomis deliveries from a known individual who was employed at that Chase branch.
As the Loomis guard, Hector Trochez, prepared to make the delivery, GEORGE and OFOMATA, both armed, exited their vehicle (a Chevy Tahoe stolen by GEORGE in preparation for the robbery), and ordered Trochez to give up the money. Trochez pulled his weapon and fired at the robbers. OFOMATA and GEORGE fired their weapons in Trochez’s direction. Trochez was fatally struck on the left side of his forehead and suffered a graze wound to his elbow. One of the robbers ran towards the rear of the Loomis truck and took possession of the money bag before re-entering the Tahoe. The robbers fled the Chase Bank parking lot.
A witness, seated in a vehicle at the corner of S. Claiborne and S. Carrollton Avenues observed the shooting and provided a description of the shooters and the vehicle they occupied. That witness followed the Chevy Tahoe as it fled the location of the shooting/robbery. During the vehicle’s flight, one of the shooters fired at the witness’s vehicle in an attempt to stop the witness from following. The witness observed the Chevy Tahoe arrive at the 1700 block of Adams Street and saw the robbers exit the Chevy Tahoe and enter the awaiting Honda Accord. After the individuals entered the Honda Accord, they fled the Adams Street location, leaving the Chevy Tahoe behind.
The Chevy Tahoe was recovered by the New Orleans Police Department and searched pursuant to a federal search warrant. During the search, FBI agents observed that the steering wheel column of the vehicle had been breached. Agents located two screwdrivers on the floorboard of the Tahoe. The screwdrivers were collected and submitted for DNA testing at the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory. An unknown DNA profile, later confirmed to be that of GEORGE, was recovered from one of the screwdrivers. Based on the recovery of GEORGE’s DNA from the screwdriver, an arrest warrant was issued.
Co-defendants Jeremy Esteves and Robert Brumfield III were found guilty by a jury at trial in November 2019. Co-defendant Jasmine Theophile, GEORGE’s girlfriend, previously pled guilty to obstructing justice. They will be sentenced on October 13, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with the New Orleans Police Department and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Brittany L. Reed, Gregory M. Kennedy, and Inga C. Petrovich are prosecuting the matter.
