DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of North Dakota

For Immediate Release

Monday, September 12, 2016
Christopher C. Myers
, United States Attorney
Contact: John Trautman

Fifth and Final Defendant in the Taco John’s Robbery and Shooting Sentenced to Federal Prison

FARGO - US Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on September 12, 2016, Tommy Trent 29, Fargo, North Dakota, was sentenced before US District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to serve two (2) years in prison followed by three (3) years of supervised release for Interference with Commerce by Threats or Violence- Hobbs Act Robbery. Judge Erickson also ordered Trent to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

On or about September 3, 2015, Trent and other co-conspirators were involved in robbing the Taco John’s restaurant located at 2601 32nd Ave. S., Fargo, as the restaurant was beginning to close. During the robbery co-conspirator Smith fired two shots, with one of the shots hitting an employee in the leg, causing injury that required medical treatment. Trent acted as a getaway driver and a lookout.

The other four men involved in the Taco John’s robbery have already been sentenced:

  • Rico Jamal Brown, 27, three (3) years and six (6) months in prison
  • Calvin Michael Frederick Brown, 25, five (5) years in prison
  • Kadeem Malik Muhammed, 25, seven (7) years in federal prison
  • Carl Eugene Smith, 24, twelve (12) years in federal prison
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATFE), as well as the Fargo Police Department. U. S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers prosecuted the case.
St. Paul Field Division