LOS ANGELES
A Long Beach man received a 28-year and three-month federal prison sentence on Friday for leading a crew responsible for several armed robberies in the Antelope Valley, amassing hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen funds.
U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha sentenced Kaleb Williams, 38, of Long Beach. The judge also ordered him to pay $503,428 in restitution
“Violent gun crime corrodes our community’s feeling of safety,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Today’s sentence shows criminals that when you break the law and use a gun to do it, the penalties will be severe.”
At the conclusion of a six-day trial in September 2023, a jury found Williams guilty of two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, three counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), and two counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Additionally, Williams’ co-conspirator, Terrance Cleyon Pearson, 44, of Long Beach, was also found guilty at the same trial of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 30.
Four of his other accomplices have also been convicted and will be sentenced in the coming months.
- Gilbert Alexander Bailey Jr., 38, of Los Angeles
- Tevaughn Brown, 33, of Bellflower
- Da’Mari Mario Crane, 23, of Lancaster
- Tonisha Marie Johnson, 44, of Lancaster
According to court documents, in July 2019 Williams, Bailey, Johnson, and four others traveled to a jewelry store in Lancaster. Johnson approached the store’s door and awaited the employees to remotely unlock the door.
Once the door was opened, Bailey and three accomplices entered. Two of the individuals then brandished handguns, intimidating both employees and a customer, while Bailey proceeded to seize jewelry from a shattered display case that had been smashed by another accomplice.
The defendants escaped with approximately 348 pieces of jewelry valued at approximately $479,000, along with a Glock firearm, and caused approximately $5,000 in damage before fleeing the scene.
Williams and his accomplices committed a series of robberies, including one at Party City in Palmdale in October 2019, where they stole approximately $10,000.
During the heist, they grabbed a store employee by the shirt and dragged her through the store.
One of the robbers, armed with a .45-caliber firearm, shot at a glass door that had closed and locked behind them, shattering it and facilitating their escape.
In May 2020, the same crew robbed a Home Depot store in Lancaster, stealing approximately $6,828 at gunpoint from the store vault.
The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott M. Lara and Kevin Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.