Man Given 'Compassionate Release' After 26 Years in Prison Turns Around and Commits Same Crime

According to the Justice Department, on Thursday, Markham David Bond, 61, of Inglewood was found guilty of robbing a Brinks courier at gunpoint outside a Los Angeles bank in August 2023.

A jury found him guilty of charges of one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

"After being given a second chance in life, this defendant sadly chose a path of violent crime," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said, per the DOJ's press release. "Through our strong partnerships with federal and local law enforcement, we will continue to use our resources to protect our community by holding accountable violent offenders who use guns."

On August 18, 2023, Bond allegedly "stole approximately $145,000 in cash from a Brinks armored carrier" in the parking lot of a Chase bank near Los Angeles Airport (LAX) in Westchester, according to the Justice Department.

At the time, per the DOJ, a Brinks employee got out of the armored vehicle with a "blue duffle bag" that contained the money, which was on a rolling cart.

"Bond approached the driver, pointed a handgun at him, and demanded the money," the Justice Department's release said. "Fearing for his life, the Brinks employee dropped the duffle bag. Bond then ordered the victim to get down on the ground. After the victim complied with this order, Bond grabbed the blue Brinks duffle bag then fled the area."

Bond was ultimately arrested months later in November 2023, and has been detained since. During his arrest, police seized a "40-caliber pistol containing 10 rounds of ammunition" from his home, along with $9,005 cash found in a refrigerator, the maroon shirt he was wearing during the robbery, and the "robbery getaway car" parked nearby, according to the Justice Department.

In August, authorities discovered other evidence linking Bond to the robbery when searching his car, including the blue Brinks duffle bag, which was empty, and the black Raiders hat he wore at the time, the DOJ said.

Bond was perviously was convicted of bank robbery and firearms offenses in January 1995. In January 2022, however, he was granted "compassionate release" from prison after serving 26 years -- a little over half of his 562-month sentence (46 years and 10 months).

Bond was on supervised release before robbing the Brinks employee outside the Chase bank in August 2023.

According to the Justice Department, Bond's sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 11, 2025. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The DOJ said Bond had "multiple felony convictions dating from the 1980s and 1990s," including Hobbs Act robbery, armed bank robbery, use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, per the DOJ.

According to the Justice Department, the Hobbs Act "prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce." It also prohibits extortion, conspiracy to commit robbery or extortion, and violence for the purpose of committing robbery of extortion.