Security guard convicted of 2019 robbery at Cle Nightclub in Houston

HOUSTON - A 26-year-old man has been convicted of a 2019 armed robbery at a Downtown Houston nightclub where he worked as a security guard, officials say.

On Monday, a jury convicted Hakeem Alexander Coles for interference with commerce by robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

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The office says Coles of Minneapolis, Minn., used a false identity to get hired as a security guard at the nightclub, where he worked for about two weeks.

He was accused of robbing employees at gunpoint and demanding $20,000 in cash after the business closed on September 7, 2019.

Following an investigation, Coles was arrested in Louisiana. According to the USAO-SDTX, he was found to be in possession of a loaded firearm and the false identification that he used to gain employment at the nightclub. Law enforcement later uncovered his true identity.

According to the USAO-SDTX, the jury also heard evidence of another robbery Coles committed at a Minneapolis bar and restaurant three weeks before the Cle robbery. He was reportedly working as a security guard at the Minneapolis business when he robbed the employees during closed hours, according to officials. He pleaded guilty in that case in 2020 and received 17 years in federal prison, officials say.

According to the USAO-SDTX, the defense attempted to convince the jury in this case that Coles did not commit the crime and that it was, in fact, the individual whose identity he had stolen. The jury later convicted him after the five-day trial.

Sentencing in this case is set for August 26. He faces up to 20 years for the robbery and a minimum of 10 years and up to life for the firearms charge which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed.