Two Quad Cities Men Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery and Multiple Armed Robbery and Firearm Charges

PEORIA, Ill. - A federal jury on August 23, 2024, found two Quad Cities, Illinois, men - Emmanuel Lance Howard, 24, of Davenport, Iowa, and Evander Allen Jordan, 39, of Rock Island, Illinois - guilty of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and multiple robbery and firearms charges following a two-week trial in Peoria, Illinois, before Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow.

During the trial, the government presented evidence to establish that in the summer and fall of 2020, Howard and Jordan committed ten separate armed robberies in the Quad Cities area, including five armed robberies of retail stores in Rock Island and Moline, one armed robbery and shooting of a man, and a carjacking of a woman in Rock Island, along with three armed robberies of retail stores in Davenport. During their violent crime spree, in which they stole firearms, money, jewelry, and other property, Howard and Jordan shot two men, pistol-whipped and assaulted others, and repeatedly threatened the lives of all of the more than 20 victims. One such victim repeatedly begged for her life and another was so terrified that she feared her young son at home, across the street from the robbery, would hear his mother being shot.

Following an extensive investigation involving the Rock Island, Davenport, and Moline police departments, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("ATF") and Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), Howard and Jordan were charged in 2021 in a fifteen-count indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, five counts of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of carjacking, six counts of brandishing or discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. These charges were the result of Howard and Jordan committing the following armed robberies in Rock Island, Moline, and Davenport:

• July 31, 2020: Little Caesar's on 18th Avenue Rock Island, Illinois

• August 14, 2020: Little Caesar's on West Locust Street, Davenport, Iowa

• September 5, 2020: MidWest Title Loans on 11th Street, Rock Island, Illinois

• September 12, 2020: Pizza Hut on Locust Street, Davenport, Iowa

• September 12, 2020: Papa John's on 19th Avenue, Moline, Illinois

• September 18, 2020, Carjacking, Rock Island, Illinois

• October 4, 2020: Domino's Pizza on 14th Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois

• October 9, 2020: Kwik Shop on Telegraph Road, Davenport, Iowa

• October 16, 2020: Pawn King on 11th Street, Rock Island, Illinois

Both Howard and Jordan have been detained in federal custody since their federal arrests in 2021.

The statutory penalty for the conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery offenses is up to 20 years in prison; the statutory penalty for the carjacking offense is up to 15 years in prison; the statutory penalty for the brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence offenses is a minimum consecutive sentence for each offense of seven years to life in prison; the statutory penalty for the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence offense is a minimum consecutive sentence of 10 years to life in prison; and the statutory penalty for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon offense is up to 10 years in prison. As a result, Howard faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 45 years and up to life in prison for just the firearm offenses; because Jordan has a prior federal conviction for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, he faces a minimum of 63 years to life in prison just for the firearms offenses.

U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris stated following the trial: "These two defendants terrorized the Quad Cities community in 2020 by committing ten separate armed robberies without any regard for human life or the law, needlessly leaving more than 20 victims in the wake of their violence and intimidation. The jury's verdict appropriately holds the defendants accountable under the law for their criminal conduct. I especially want to thank the Rock Island, Davenport, and Moline police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for their outstanding, tireless, and professional work in this matter. This Office and our federal and state partners will continue to hold those persons accountable for their criminal acts of violence."

"On behalf of the Moline Police Department and the City of Moline, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to all involved in bringing this case to justice," said Darren Gault, Chief of Police for the Moline Police Department. "Over several weeks in 2020 these dangerous individuals went on a crime spree we usually don't see in the Quad Cities. I'd like to highlight the extraordinary cooperation and coordination across multiple agencies in both Illinois and Iowa as well as the state and federal law enforcement agencies. Without this coordinated effort, these individuals may have evaded being held accountable for their actions. The Quad Cities should be proud of the remarkable work being done by these men and women in law enforcement and at the United States Attorney's Office. Our partnerships are strong and the message is clear: if you commit these crimes in our communities, you will be held accountable."

"This verdict of guilt will hold these two men accountable for the mayhem they created throughout the community," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon of the Chicago Field Division. "I commend the partnership among our local and federal law enforcement agencies for their diligence in investigating these crimes and the United States Attorney's Office for prosecuting this case."

The case investigation was conducted by the Rock Island, Davenport, and Moline Police Departments, as well as the ATF and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Mathew, Timothy Bass, and Jeffrey Kienstra represented the government in the prosecution.

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