Indianola Man Sentenced for Armed Robbery of Backyard Burgers

Greenville, MS – An Indianola man was sentenced today to more than six years in prison for his role in the armed robbery of a Backyard Burgers restaurant in Cleveland, Mississippi.

According to court documents, Leequinn McCloud, 25, previously pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to one count of Hobbs Act robbery pertaining to the armed robbery of the Backyard Burgers restaurant in Cleveland. McCloud was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown to 77 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. Following sentencing, McCloud was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.

McCloud’s co-defendant, Ladarius Snipes was previously sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, where he was facing additional charges. Snipes was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in the armed robbery of the Backyard Burgers, in addition to 35 months in prison for his Minnesota charges.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will do everything in its power to ensure that those who choose to commit violent gun crimes are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “We thank ATF and the Cleveland, Mississippi Police Department for their work on this case and will continue to work alongside our federal, state and local partners to help keep our communities and citizens safer by aggressively investigating and prosecuting violent criminals.”

“ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are dedicated to pursuing and combating those career criminals whose violent criminal activities threaten and severely detract from the welfare of our communities,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “This is another example of our commitment to work tirelessly to protect our communities and hold accountable those who threaten our safety.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cleveland Police Department investigated the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: U.S. ATF, atf.gov