Members of a Houston-based "jugging" crew are headed to federal prison after prosecutors say they stalked an ATM technician across multiple North Texas cities, then robbed him of roughly a quarter-million dollars outside a Midlothian bank.
According to court records, the crew tailed the technician as he worked his route from Irving through Grand Prairie and Arlington, waiting until he stopped at a Chase branch in Midlothian. There, authorities say, they forced him to the ground and grabbed canisters of cash. Investigators tie the case to a wider, multi-jurisdiction federal probe into a crew they say calls itself the Hiram Clarke Money Team.
WFAA reports that 30-year-old Corey Dashun Holloway was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and Tierra Toneisha Brandyberg received 41 months. Other co-defendants had already been sentenced in earlier proceedings. Prosecutors allege the crew stuffed the stolen cash into a Range Rover and drove it back to Houston after the July 3, 2024 heist, and investigators told the outlet the haul came to about $260,000.
How the feds built the case
Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas outlined the crew's movements and the subsequent arrests in court filings and public statements. They charged the defendants with interference with commerce by robbery after the July 3 incident and described the Hiram Clarke Money Team as a Houston-based group that routinely travels to other cities to carry out jugging-style robberies targeting cash-heavy victims.
One co-defendant, Johnny Juwan Clark, had already pleaded guilty and was sentenced earlier this year, with a judge handing down a 96-month term for the robbery along with a consecutive sentence for violating supervised release.
Luxury splurge and video trail
Prosecutors say some of the stolen cash barely had time to cool off before it was spent. After returning to Houston, a chunk of the money went toward high-end purchases, including a Mercedes S-Class and diamond jewelry that appeared in a Houston jewelry store video, according to FOX26 Houston. That in-store footage, combined with bank surveillance, helped investigators connect specific purchases and vehicles back to the Midlothian heist.
The FBI's Dallas Division led the North Texas side of the investigation, while the U.S. Attorney's Office handled prosecution.
Why the time is so steep
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the crew was prosecuted under federal laws that prohibit interference with interstate commerce by robbery, often called Hobbs Act offenses. Depending on the details and a defendant's criminal history, those charges can bring decades behind bars.
In this case, judges cited the violent nature of the confrontation, the amount stolen and the defendants' prior records in deciding on multi-year sentences. Prosecutors say the case is part of a broader push to shut down mobile jugging crews that crisscross county lines looking for big cash withdrawals and vulnerable small businesses.
One remaining co-defendant, Roosevelt Ford Valentine, pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 and is still awaiting his sentence, officials told WFAA. With several players already sentenced and others still before the court, federal authorities say they intend to keep the pressure on jugging crews operating across North Texas.
