Indianapolis, Indiana – A federal jury in Indianapolis has convicted Laurens Jean-Francois, a 23-year-old Haitian national, in a pair of armed robberies that prosecutors said unfolded over three tense days in July 2025 and left two workers facing the same weapon at close range.
According to the Department of Justice, Jean-Francois was found guilty of two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. The verdict followed a federal trial before U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young, who will sentence Jean-Francois at a later date.
The case centered on two robberies in Indianapolis, each involving workers simply doing their jobs.
The first happened on July 19, 2025, when a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver arrived at Scarborough Lake Apartments with an order. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the driver knocked on an apartment door when Jean-Francois came from a stairwell holding a .556 caliber AR-15 pistol.
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Prosecutors said Jean-Francois demanded the driver’s wallet, cell phone and food order, then told him to run. The driver later gave police a description of the suspect. External surveillance cameras also captured the robbery, giving investigators key evidence as the case began to take shape.
Three days later, on July 22, prosecutors said Jean-Francois struck again. This time, he entered Xpress Pantry on North High School Road wearing a ski mask, clear latex gloves and dark clothing. At first, he asked the store clerk to get a phone charger from a locked display. Then the moment turned dangerous. Jean-Francois brandished the same AR-15 pistol used in the earlier robbery and demanded money from the register.
The break in the case came on July 29, 2025, when officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department stopped a Ford Fusion in which Jean-Francois was riding as a passenger. Officers saw the AR-15 pistol in plain view, leaning against the rear driver’s side door. Investigators also said Jean-Francois was wearing the same ski mask used during the Xpress Pantry robbery.
Further investigation showed that Jean-Francois was unlawfully present in the United States because his green card had expired in August 2024.
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The case was investigated by the FBI Indianapolis Field Office and IMPD. Federal prosecutors presented the case as a pattern of armed violence aimed at people working ordinary shifts: one delivering food, the other standing behind a store counter.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Barloh and Michelle P. Brady for prosecuting the case, as well as paralegal specialists Kayla Whitaker and Paige Carpenter and Victim Witness Specialists Johnna Preidt and Maurine Bwambok.
Jean-Francois now awaits sentencing in federal court, where the convictions tied to the robberies, firearm use and immigration-related firearm charge will determine the next chapter of the case.
