Bowie Man Pleads Guilty To Armed Robbery Of Pharmaceutical Van Driver

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A Bowie man has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the armed robbery of a pharmaceutical van driver.

Juwuan Edward Francis Champion, 24, also known as "Big Money," was part of a four-member crew engaged in a drug trafficking operation in the Potomac Gardens neighborhood of southeast Washington, D.C. The three other members were Fitzgerald Hunt, 24, of Washington, D.C., also known as “GMoney;” Joshua Johnson, 18, of Capitol Heights, also known as “Lil Josh,” and Keyshawn Lavender, 20, of Washington, D.C., also known as “Key.” From January through October 2021, the crew members allegedly trafficked in oxycodone, alprazolam and other illegal narcotics, according to court documents.

When pleading guilty, Champion, Hunt and Johnson admitted that on March 30, 2021, they conspired to rob a pharmaceutical delivery van driver outside a pharmacy in Waldorf. The driver was placed in handcuffs, hit on the head with a firearm and then the defendants drove the van back to Washington, D.C., with its pharmaceutical contents, prosecutors stated.

Law enforcement arrested the four men on Oct. 7, 2021.

Champion pleaded guilty on Dec. 19 to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (known as conspiracy to commit a Hobbs Act robbery) and unlawful possession of a machine gun. He will be sentenced March 15, 2024.

Hunt, Johnson and Lavender previously pleaded guilty. Hunt was sentenced to 108 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. Johnson, who was 17 years old at the time of the robbery, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and separately pled guilty to related local charges in Charles County in a global resolution. Lavender was not charged with the robbery and pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and received a sentence of 30 months in prison.