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5 Middletown residents charged in million-dollar robbery of jewelry merchant

5 Middletown residents charged in million-dollar robbery of jewelry merchant
Posted at 10:14 AM, Sep 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-23 12:40:12-04

CINCINNATI — A federal grand jury has indicted five southwest Ohioans in the robbery of a diamond and jewelry merchant from Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

The federal prosecutor for Ohio’s southern district says the Middletown residents were indicted this month on a charge of conspiring to commit a Hobbs Act robbery. Amit "Alex" Patel, 48; Mimi Chang, 40; Andrea Mullins, 35; Deanna "Dee Dee" Williams, 36 and Danny Ray Horne, 37 were all charged. 

That federal law prohibits interference with interstate commerce. Violating it is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman says the government is seeking forfeiture of more than $1 million obtained as a result of the April 2 robbery. His statement didn’t specify details about how that allegedly occurred.

The FBI began investigating after the merchant filed a police report in Pennsylvania.

Three defendants appeared in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on Friday. Two are in state custody.