ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm during two separate armed robberies of Craigslist sellers. 

According to court records, on August 24, 2019, Cloyd Lacap Jr., 22, robbed two individuals at gun point after arranging to meet them for the supposed purpose of purchasing items each had listed for sale online. 

The first robbery took place in the parking lot of Balto Seppala Park in Anchorage where Lacap had arranged to meet the seller of a PlayStation gaming console. When the seller opened his trunk at the park to show the gaming console, Lacap pulled out a handgun, racked the slide and took the gaming console before leaving the park on foot. 

Later the same day, Lacap arranged to meet the seller of an iPhone in the parking lot of a restaurant in Anchorage’s Turnagain neighborhood. After arriving in an unidentified car, Lacap got in the back seat of the seller’s vehicle. When the seller showed him the smartphone, Lacap pointed a handgun at the victim, grabbed the phone and then exited the victim’s vehicle. Lacap left in the same vehicle that he arrived in. 

Lacap was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2020 and later pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. He has been detained without bail on his federal case since January 24, 2020. 

Prior to pleading guilty in this case, Lacap pleaded guilty in State of Alaska Superior Court case 3AN-19-05391CR to assault in the first degree and misconduct involving weapons in the first degree as part of a global plea agreement. Lacap’s guilty pleas in the state case were for his role in a May 2019 armed robbery in Anchorage. That case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Saritha Anjilvel. 

Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson for the District of Alaska; Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan T. McPherson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Chief Justin Doll of the Anchorage Police Department made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison O’Leary prosecuted 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

Here are some precautions you can take when meeting a seller for a purchase initiated online:
 

• Never go to the meet alone. Have at least one other person with you. Make sure another individual, who is not with you, knows where you are, what you are doing, and any details you have about the other party you are meeting. 
• Meet in a public place that has cameras and a lot of foot traffic such as a superstore parking lot. 
• Meet during a busy time of day – not late at night or early in the morning when there are not many other people around. 
• If the party you are meeting arrives in a vehicle, jot down the license plate and a description of the vehicle. 
• Pay attention to the physical attributes of the people you are meeting with in case you need to give a detailed description of them to the police later. 
• Only deal in cash. Checks and cashier checks can easily be forged. Pay attention to the money you accept. Make sure it looks and feels the way money should. 
• Should you be threatened, follow the instructions of the suspect(s), leave the area as soon as possible, and call 9-1-1 as quickly as you can. 

  Anchorage, Cloyd Lacap, craigslist, gunpoint, online, robbery, sentencing