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NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced today that Byron Jamal Watson, 30, and Reginald Lumar Jr., 28, both of New Orleans, were indicted for two counts of bank robbery on March 5, 2020.

According to count one of the indictment, on or about September 10, 2019, Watson and Lumar robbed the Total Choice Federal Credit Union located at 100 Palmetto Drive in LaPlace. They obtained approximately $7,000 in the robbery. According to count two of the indictment, on or about September 26, Watson and Lumar robbed the Fidelity Bank located at 9099 Jefferson Highway in Jefferson. They obtained approximately $6,000 in that robbery.

If convicted, Watson and Lumar face, on each count, a maximum of twenty years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following release from prison.

U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that guilt of a defendant must always be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Strasser also praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force and officers with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Orleans Police Department, and St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri is handling the prosecution.