United States Attorney Anne M. Tompkins Western District Of North Carolina
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - On Thursday, Aug. 29, 2012, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. sentenced five men to prison in connection with a 2011 armed home invasion in Mooresville, N.C., announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The five men received sentences ranging from 11 to 18 years in prison.
Wayne L. Dixie, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Sheriff Kevin L. Auten of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney Tompkins in making today’s announcement.
Judge Cogburn sentenced Osman White, 42, of Summerville, S.C. to serve 140 months in prison; Roderick Darnell Hardin, 40, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 150 months in prison; Timothy James Donahue, 44, of Mt. Pleasant, N.C. was ordered to serve 188 months in prison; Leo McIntyre, Jr., 39, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 140 months in prison; and Otis Sutton, 23, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 219 months in prison. Judge Cogburn also ordered the defendants to serve three years under court supervision following their prison terms, and to pay $1,500.000 as restitution, joint and severally.
According to court documents and court proceedings, the robbery was planned while White, McIntyre and Hardin were incarcerated in Mecklenburg County. While in jail, White told McIntyre and Hardin that Donahue knew of which places and people to rob.
Court records show that on July 21, 2011, the six victims of the home invasion - three adults and three young children - were sitting outside in front of the Mooresville residence. One of the adult victims is the owner and operator of a car dealer and salvage yard located on the same property as the residence. According to court records, Hardin and Sutton, armed with firearms, pulled into the driveway of the residence, demanded money from the owner of the business, and then ordered the entire family into the residence. Court records show that once inside the residence, Hardin demanded the owner to hand over the money kept in the safe inside the residence and threatened to shoot the children if the owner did not comply. Court records indicate that Hardin and Sutton took approximately $1.5 million from the safe. After obtaining the money from the safe, Hardin and Sutton tied up the adult victims. During the course of the robbery, Hardin also struck the owner in the head, all according to court records.
According to court documents, after the robbery Hardin rented a storage unit in Charlotte where he kept some of the stolen money. On July 29, 2011, law enforcement seized approximately $550,000 from the storage unit and arrested Hardin the next day when he arrived at the storage unit.
All defendants except Donahue entered guilty pleas. Otis Sutton pleaded guilty in May 2012 to Hobbs Act robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. White and McIntyre also pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery, in August and October 2012, respectively. In December 2012, Hardin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery. Also in December 2012, following a six-day trial, a federal jury found Donahue guilty of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery.
A sixth defendant, Abdul White, 44, of Charlotte pleaded guilty in November 2012 to being an accessory after the fact, in connection with the robbery. He faces a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $125,000 fine. Abdul White has not been sentenced yet.
In announcing the lengthy sentences, Judge Cogburn consistently emphasized the violent nature of the crimes.
The defendants have been in federal custody in the Western District of North Carolina and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
The case was investigated by ATF and the Rowan County Sheriff’s office The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Claire Phillips, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
