Detroit man gets 2 years for $578K armored car heist
Detroit — A guard who stole $578,000 from his company’s armored car outside Greektown Casino in November was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Tuesday, getting less time than his co-defendant who took off with part of the stolen money.
David Troupe, 23, pleaded guilty to bank fraud after confessing to the November crime, which sent the FBI on a multi-state manhunt to collar his co-conspirator.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith told Troupe his decision to not flee when the FBI came to his Detroit home and to turn in more than $150,000 of the stolen money were factors that should be considered in the case.
Goldsmith ordered Troupe, who has no criminal record and worked as a singer, songwriter and producer, to pay $416,730 in restitution as part of the case.
“It’s perplexing to the court that a person with so many talents and relationships and experiences would engage in this kind of unlawful activity. It’s inexplicable,” Goldsmith said.
Troupe’s co-conspirator, Brandon Allen Jackson, 23, distracted the Loomis armored car driver and later fled to California with his portion of the cash, failing to turn over any of it. He received 37 months in prison last week.
Prosecutors said Troupe, who worked for Loomis but called in sick to work the day of the crime, stole the bank-owned cash by impersonating a Loomis armored car employee on duty on Nov. 27, and gaining entry to the rear of the truck.
At 7:58 a.m., a Loomis armored car with two messengers and a driver parked outside the casino at 555 E. Lafayette to make a delivery to the ATM inside the casino.
After the two messengers entered the casino and the driver stayed inside the car, Jackson engaged the driver in conversation about getting a job at Loomis, prosecutors said. Jackson then entered the casino.
Investigators said that’s when Troupe approached the Loomis car wearing a navy Loomis jacket, black pants and carrying a red duffel bag and a black and white roller bag. Troupe allegedly knocked on the side of the van and told the driver he had grabbed the wrong bag.
The driver, unaware the person in the Loomis jacket was not one of the messengers on duty that day, allowed Troupe into the rear of the armored car, where he took the money and left.
After the theft, Loomis employees called the police. Video surveillance of Troupe was shown to a Loomis supervisor, who identified the suspect as Troupe.
Troupe returned $150,000 of the stolen money and cooperated with prosecutors to arrest his co-conspirator who was sentenced last week to 37 months in prison on the same charge.
Troupe wrote a letter Goldsmith saying he didn’t run when police came to his Detroit home to arrest him “because it’s not in my character” as a man. He also said he has a job as a laborer with Detroit Renewable Power and a 10-month-old son to care for.
“And I wake to him every day apologizing to him for me making a ‘stupid brain cramp decision’ that can take me out of his life,” Troupe wrote in the letter.
He also told the judge in the letter he would never hurt anyone “so I never brought a weapon nor did I threaten anyone’s life” during the crime.
Troupe’s attorney, Leon Weiss, said Troupe is a talented singer, songwriter and producer of music who is “exceedingly remorseful for his actions.”
“Within the first 24 hours after the offense, the reality of what he’d done hit him like a TNT blast,” Weiss said.
Weiss said Troupe contacted him immediately and said he wanted to make a full confession and return all of the money he still had.
Court record show $161,270 of the money has been recovered, which leaves $416,730 missing. Both Troupe and Jackson have been ordered to make full restitution in the case.
JChambers@detroitnews.com