South Orange Man Pleads Guilty To Armed Robbery Of Passaic Club

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — A South Orange man has admitted his participation in a September 2015 armed robbery of a club in Passaic, prosecutors say.

On Thursday, Acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick announced that Keontrae Lawrence, a/k/a “Taz,” 29, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to the indictment court documents, on Sept. 6, 2015, Lawrence and others agreed to rob a club in Passaic at gunpoint.

During his plea hearing, Lawrence admitted that he knowingly and willfully participated in the robbery and that he and another conspirator brandished a firearm and threatened to use violence against a club employee. He also admitted that he and the other conspirator took $26,084 in cash from the club before fleeing in a getaway car, prosecutors said.

The Hobbs Act conspiracy charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense. The count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and that sentence must be consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

Lawrence’s sentencing is set for Jan. 5, 2018, prosecutors said.

Lawrence was originally charged with Jimmy Cooper, a/k/a “Flip,” 32, of Irvington, and Shaheed Blamahsah, a/k/a “Aboo,” 30, of East Orange, in November 2016. Cooper and Lawrence were later indicted by a federal grand jury on March 24, 2017, for their roles in the robbery.

Blamahsah pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and awaits sentencing. The charges against Cooper are still pending, prosecutors said.

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