Federal prosecutors say a deadly interstate robbery plot started as a casino meet-up in the North Carolina mountains and ended with a burning car and a body in Spartanburg. Three Upstate South Carolina residents have been indicted, accused of luring a man from Harrah’s Cherokee in Cherokee, N.C., kidnapping and robbing him in nearby Sylva, then fatally shooting him. His body and a rental car on fire were later discovered in Spartanburg, and the defendants are now being held in federal custody as the case moves through court.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, a federal grand jury in Greenville returned a 10-count indictment this week charging Elisa Marie Rosario, 33, Jeremy Todd Lark, 42, also known as Jeremy Abdul Wakil Jones, and 19-year-old Kezayvian Lee Campbell. Prosecutors say the alleged scheme began on or about June 16, 2025, and targeted 34-year-old Mequez Bernard Geer, whose belongings included money, jewelry, a cell phone and a 2025 Hyundai Genesis rented from Enterprise. “The alleged actions of these defendants show a dark and devious scheme that crossed states lines and ultimately resulted in death,” U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling said in the release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina.
Back in June 2025, Spartanburg firefighters responded to a vehicle fully engulfed in flames several feet off the roadway. Once the fire was out, crews found a body inside. The Spartanburg County coroner later identified the victim as Geer, and local authorities immediately labeled the circumstances suspicious and urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. FOX Carolina reported the June 18, 2025, identification.
Indictment details
The 10-count indictment charges the three defendants with robbery affecting commerce, kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, use of a firearm during a crime of violence causing death, interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, destruction of the vehicle by fire to prevent its search and seizure, obstruction of justice and providing false statements to federal agents. Prosecutors allege Rosario persuaded Geer to leave Harrah’s Cherokee in the early morning hours of June 17, 2025, and that the trio then held and transported him about 12 miles into Sylva, where the robbery and fatal shooting took place. The indictment also claims the defendants discarded Geer’s belongings while traveling and that his jewelry was later recovered from a residence in Roebuck, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina.
Investigation and next steps
The investigation involved the FBI Columbia Field Office along with the Spartanburg Police Department and the Spartanburg Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leesa Washington is prosecuting the case. All three defendants are currently detained and are expected to appear for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin F. McDonald. If convicted on the most serious charges, they face potential life terms in federal prison. Local outlets have echoed details from the Department of Justice release and highlighted the coordinated work between federal and local agencies that led to the indictments, as reported by WYFF 4.
Who the victim was
Geer, identified in police and coroner reports, was a 34-year-old Anderson resident remembered in obituary notices as a devoted father and a familiar presence in the Upstate. Funeral announcements in June 2025 listed services held later that month and named his surviving family members. The obituary appeared in the Post and Courier - Greenville.
Prosecutors stressed that an indictment is only an accusation and not proof of guilt, and federal authorities have reminded the public that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If they are convicted of charges such as kidnapping resulting in death or use of a firearm during a crime of violence causing death, each could face life in prison. Investigators are still encouraging anyone with additional information about the case to contact law enforcement, according to WYFF 4.
