Northeast Ohio man sentenced to federal prison for armored vehicle robberies

A 24-year-old Cleveland man has been sentenced to prison for his role in two robberies of armored car vehicles in Cleveland.

Christion Yarnell Sims, 24, was sentenced to 228 months (19 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan after pleading guilty to the following charges:

• Interference with Commerce by Robbery
• Carjacking
• Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence

Sims was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $336,120 in restitution.

According to court documents, Sims and several other assailants robbed armored car vehicles on two separate occasions. The robberies occurred July 29, 2024, and Sept. 23, 2024.

On both dates, employees with Vantage Technical Services (VTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Brinks, were servicing an ATM at each retail establishment. As employees exited the stores and attempted to enter their armored vehicles, they were threatened at gunpoint. In both instances, the assailants took several bags filled with cash before speeding away in getaway vehicles.

During the investigation, agents discovered photographs of Sims holding a large sum of banded and unbanded cash. They also found a video of a car dealership employee counting stacks of cash during a transaction in which Sims bought a black BMW after the first robbery.

In total, more than $300,000 in cash was stolen from VTS armored vehicles by Sims and other perpetrators.

This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and the Cleveland Division of Police.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio.