Brooklyn Gambling Den Heist Ends In Guard’s Killing, Feds Say

Three men have been sentenced in Brooklyn federal court for a 2020 robbery at an illegal Brownsville gambling spot that ended with a security guard fatally shot, a crime U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella called a senseless and brutal act. The sentences, handed down April 16, close out a yearslong federal case stemming from the Oct. 7, 2020 stickup that killed 33-year-old Rodney Maxwell, a father of three and longtime Bellevue Hospital employee who was working security that night.

Sentences And Defendants

According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, EDNY, Charles Powell was sentenced to 42 years in prison and Musah Coward to 45 years after being convicted at trial. The office said co-defendant Brian Castro had already received a 45-year sentence in December 2025. The jury convictions covered firearm-related murder, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy.

What Prosecutors Say Happened

Court records and local reporting state that on Oct. 7, 2020, Powell and Castro went inside an illegal gambling location at 181 Hegeman Avenue in Brownsville while Coward waited outside. During an attempted robbery, prosecutors say a struggle broke out, Maxwell was shot, and the robbers fled with cash taken from the scene. As reported by the Brooklyn Eagle and the New York Daily News, federal prosecutors presented surveillance footage, cell-tower data, and a recorded confession to tie the three men to the deadly robbery.

Officials And Family Respond

Nocella said the shooting took the life of a security guard who was simply doing his job and publicly thanked the prosecutors and investigators whose work brought the case to trial, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, EDNY. The Justice Department also quoted leaders from the FBI and NYPD praising the investigative work. Maxwell’s daughter told reporters she hopes the lengthy sentences mean other families will be spared the kind of loss her family has endured.

Legal Notes

The prosecution was handled by the Organized Crime and Gangs Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Officials said the three defendants were convicted at trial in 2025. Federal Hobbs Act robbery and firearm charges carry mandatory minimum prison terms and can leave defendants facing decades behind bars. Sentencing records and coverage of the case describe restitution orders that include roughly $26,730 to be paid to Maxwell’s daughter, according to the New York Daily News.