Dayshawn Brimfield, 33, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday for committing multiple armed robberies and related crimes across New Jersey in April 2021. U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi handed down the sentence in Trenton federal court, along with five years of supervised release and restitution to victims.
Brimfield previously pleaded guilty to a five-count Information, including charges of bank robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle. Court documents detail that between April 2 and April 20, 2021, Brimfield carried out a series of escalating crimes.
On April 2, 2021, he robbed a Hazlet bank by handing a teller a note threatening violence while claiming to possess a firearm. Weeks later, on April 17, he stole a vehicle in Elizabeth, which authorities said was used as a getaway car.
Three days later, Brimfield committed two armed convenience store robberies in Aberdeen and South Plainfield. In both instances, he brandished a handgun, intimidating employees before taking cash and personal items, including a cashier’s wallet and cellphone.
Following the April 20 robberies, Brimfield fled New Jersey in the stolen vehicle but was apprehended in Lancaster County, Nebraska, after a high-speed chase ended in a crash.
Brimfield was carrying evidence of his crimes when he crashed and was taken into custody by state troopers near Lincoln, Nebraska, according to former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger.
Investigations involved the FBI’s Newark Division (Red Bank Resident Agency), the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, and local police departments in Hazlet and South Plainfield, alongside the Nebraska State Patrol. Authorities noted interagency collaboration was critical in tracking Brimfield’s multi-state flight.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the Trenton Criminal Division represented the government in the case. Brimfield’s defense counsel, Teri S. Lodge, did not immediately issue a public statement following sentencing.
Judge Quraishi’s order mandates Brimfield to pay restitution to victims, though specific amounts were not disclosed. The Hobbs Act charges relate to robberies affecting interstate commerce, underscoring the federal scope of the case.