MICHIGAN – Seventeen individuals from the metro-Detroit area have been charged in a series of smash and grab robberies of jewelry stores across the United States, federal officials announced today.
Three separate federal indictments filed during the past month charge the defendants with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery of stores located in New York, Maryland, North Carolina, Mississippi, Nebraska and Connecticut, officials said.
“These crimes, committed during business hours, are serious because of the danger and trauma they create for the victim customers and sales clerks,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said. “These defendants travelled around the country to commit their crimes in hopes of dividing and conquering witnesses and investigators, but with the collaboration of law enforcement agencies across the country, those schemes have been thwarted.”
These indictments follow a series of investigations nationally by various state, local and federal law
About 40 smash and grab robberies in 2014. In Michigan alone, between 2012 and 2014, approximately 25 smash and grab jewelry store robberies were committed.
According to the indictments, crews from the metro-Detroit area planned and executed six robberies.
The crews traveled across the country to jewelry stores that sell Rolex watches and other jewelry.
Several members of the crew entered the jewelry stores while they were open for business, smashed the Rolex display cases with sledge hammers and fled the store with Rolex watches, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The robbers escaped into waiting, stolen vehicles and returned to Michigan with the stolen watches.
The indicted defendants are:
- Elijah McKinney, 24, of Detroit
- Darius Ellis, 30, of Detroit
- Kordaryl Cross, 25, of Westland
- Latrina Williams, 38, of Detroit
- Lorenzo Daniel Terry, 21, of Detroit
- Anthony Jerome Browner, 24, of Farmington Hills
- DaJuan Cortez Marcellus, 24, of Detroit
- Brandon Phillip Wilkerson, 24, of Detroit
- Marquis Wade Cheatham, 24, of Detroit
- Darien Savon Thompson, 21, of Detroit
- Britnei Rodgers, 29, of Detroit
- Ernie Thomas Evans, 25, of Detroit
- Darrick Adams, 29, of Detroit
- Brandon Mayes, 20, of Detroit
- Bria Jackson, 22, of Shelby Township
- Bria Stanford, 21, of Belleville
- Shaquita Wyatt, 24, of Detroit
Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“The defendants in this case intentionally targeted jewelry stores across the country, exposing the public to danger and attempting to thwart the efforts of law enforcement,” Special Agent in Charge Paul Abbate said. “Together, law enforcement at every level, through shared intelligence, resources, and evidence, brought their crime spree to a halt. The FBI stands, along with its partners, both local and national, ready to bring other criminal smash and grab robbery crews to justice.”
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company and an industry organization are offering a combined reward of up to $45,000 for information leading to the arrest of other individuals responsible for these robberies.
(Video: Three suspects in Detroit are allegedly responsible for the smash and grab robbery at Gunderson’s Jewelry at Village Pointe in September, according to published reports. It is unclear whether this smash and grab is related to the current federal indictment. )