Heist was like a ‘Hollywood movie’ as gunmen steal racetrack prize money, feds say

Two New York men were convicted of multiple crimes in connection to a racetrack robbery that “played out like a Hollywood movie heist,” according to federal officials.

Lamel Miller and Lafayette Morrison, 39-year-old childhood friends, carried out the holdup on March 7, 2020, at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The stickup occurred the day of the Gotham Stakes, a thoroughbred horse race featuring a $300,000 purse.

Miller held up several racetrack employees at gunpoint around 10 pm while they were transporting over $284,000 in earnings to a vault, according to the release. They were dressed in black and wearing surgical masks to hide their identities, according to the New York Times.

Morrison, a racetrack security guard, was one of the employees involved, according to the release.

Miller and another unnamed accomplice stole the prize money and forced the staff into a closet after requiring them to surrender their cell phones, according to the release.

Afterward, they absconded to a hotel where they split the cash between themselves and Morrison, who, despite appearing innocent, was an “inside man” providing information about the whereabouts of the money, according to the release.

It’s not clear how Miller and Morrison were identified as suspects, but investigators came to the conclusion that the heist was likely an inside job the day after it occurred, according to The New York Times.

Attorneys for Morrison and Miller could not be reached for comment by McClatchy News.

After a five-day trial, Morrison was convicted of Hobbs Act robbery, which is a robbery that affects interstate commerce, in addition to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and obstruction of justice, according to the release. Morrison and Miller, who pleaded guilty to the robbery in September, were also convicted of brandishing a firearm.

At a minimum, they will both face seven years in prison, according to the release.

“This violent robbery plot, featuring a racetrack security guard who betrayed his duty, showed a callous disregard for several victims,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in the release. “Thanks to our joint law enforcement efforts, those responsible will now bear the consequences of their despicable acts.”

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