Three men face significant prison sentences after a federal jury convicted them Tuesday for their roles in a series of violent armed robberies of Chicago liquor stores, convenience stores and bars that netted them nearly $300,000.
Ardaries Harris, 28; Jordan Fox, 26; and Xavier Harris, 27, are already in federal custody on robbery conspiracy charges, records show. The jury convicted them on nearly every count in a 23-count indictment, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros’ office.
The verdict followed a lengthy trial in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood.
A fourth defendant, Roosevelt Veal, is set to face trial separately, records show.
The robbery spree lasted from August 2023, starting with the robbery of Ace’s Liquor and Tap in the 4400 block of West Armitage, and continued for nine months until the May 2024 attempted robbery of Basil Food & Liquor in the 7400 block of North Western.
It included the May 2024 robbery of the Irish Nobleman Pub in West Town, records show. That early morning robbery began when Fox, Ardaries Harris and Veal ran inside, with Fox pointing a Glock pistol modified with a switch at people in the pub, according to prosecutors.
The switch turned the gun into a fully automatic firearm that could fire multiple bullets at the pull of a trigger.
“Hands up, hands up,” Fox told people inside the bar, according to the feds. “Come here, everybody come here before I drop the switch. Come here. Fully automatic. Come on.”
The owner of the bar ran across the street to his house to call 911, records show. Fox fired at him but missed, as Fox and the others fled, prosecutors said.
In a video recorded after another series of robberies days later, prosecutors said the men could be seen counting cash with a stolen bottle of Don Julio tequila nearby. In another, Ardaries Harris drank from the tequila bottle, displayed piles of cash and said, “I’m stackin’ this s— all summer and all winter.”
Defense attorneys for the three defendants did not immediately comment. Prosecutors have said the case was built with help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Crime Gun Intelligence Center.
Assistant U.S. attorneys Emily Vermylen, Stephanie Stern and Jalan Jaskot outlined the details of the case, as well as the robbery crew’s pattern, in a court filing in April. The robberies all occurred at night, they said. The robbers operated in groups of two to four and would enter the businesses with guns drawn.
Fox would typically approach the cash register with a bag and gun, the prosecutors said. He would either steal from the register or take “overflow money” stored nearby. Other members of the robbery crew would “take control” of patrons and employees at gunpoint, robbing them of cash and taking their cellphones.
“The defendants — disguised by dark-colored hoods, gloves, and masks — terrorized employees and customers by holding them up at gunpoint; frequently beating them, including with firearms; and in four instances, shooting at employees,” the feds wrote.