St. Thomas, VI – United States Legal professional Delia L. Smith introduced now that Tashawn T.A. Warner, 25, Shemar Webster, 23, and Jamari Benjamin, 25, all of St. Thomas, ended up sentenced by United States Chief District Judge Juan R. Sánchez to conditions of imprisonment ranging from 135 to 36 months for their roles in the Hobb’s Act armed robbery of Gem and Gold Corner Jewellery Retail outlet in St. Thomas. Warner, the chief and organizer of the group, was sentenced to 135 months incarceration, when Webster was sentenced to 125 months incarceration and Benjamin was sentenced to 36 months incarceration. All a few defendants ended up also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release and purchased to pay back restitution in the total of $510,000.00 to Dorchester Insurance D/B/A Topa Insurance policy Products and services, Inc., and Gem and Gold Corner Jewelry Store.
According to court files, on September 19, 2020, Warner, Webster and Benjamin robbed Gems and Gold Corner Jewelry Shop found on the waterfront near Veteran’s Push in St. Thomas. The group arrived at Gem and Gold Corner Jewellery Retail store at about 9:31 a.m., in a white Suzuki Vitara. Warner and Webster entered the jewellery retail store, both equally armed with an AK 47 rifle and a Glock 22 handgun and donning confront coverings, when Benjamin, the getaway driver, remained in the vehicle. Once inside of the shop, Webster and Warner pointed their firearms at 5 staff, two of whom have been unarmed security officers, and ordered them to lie on floor with their fingers up. Warner and Webster then used their firearms to smash glass circumstances and taken out jewelry with a gross believed price of approximately $1.1 million. Both adult males stuffed a big amount of jewellery in a duffel bag, and when the bag was whole, they stuffed a lot more jewelry in their trousers pockets. Through the armed robbery, Webster physically assaulted the proprietor of Gem and Gold Corner with his firearm creating personal injury to his head. The 3 guys later fled the scene and traveled to the Mafolie Hill region the place Webster escaped in a 2nd auto when Warner and Benjamin fled the region in the white Vitara. Virgin Islands Police Officers pursued Warner and Benjamin as they traveled to the Bovoni Housing Neighborhood and deserted the Vitara and fled on foot. Forensic Officers collected masks, gloves and jewelry from the deserted auto, and DNA gathered from individuals things joined Warner and Webster to the armed robbery. Benjamin afterwards turned himself in to regulation enforcement, when Webster fled to Altanta, GA, and Warner went into hiding. In November 2020, Webster was extradited again to St. Thomas, and Warner was arrested in December 2020.
All through the execution of Warner’s arrest warrant, Shemelle Isaac, 31, was also arrested after federal brokers observed Isaac driving a black Infiniti sedan at a substantial price of speed towards Warner’s residence. Isaac stopped his vehicle up coming to Warner’s parked auto and opened the trunk of his Infiniti even though still seated in the driver’s seat. Brokers then observed Warner take out a duffel bag from his vehicle that matched the description of the bag made use of in the Gem and Gold Corner Jewelry Shop armed robbery and place it in the trunk of Isaac’s automobile. Isaac was billed as an accessory after the truth following federal brokers uncovered four firearms, such as the Glock 22 utilised in the theft, a substantial amount of jewellery and $5,540.00 income inside of the duffel bag. Isaac admitted to the brokers that he was knowledgeable that Warner was desired by regulation enforcement in link with Gem and Gold Corner’s armed theft. For his function, Isaac was sentenced 4 times incarceration, and a few years of supervised release.
“The consequences of gun violence are felt much and huge in our smaller community. This vicious and senseless act left a everlasting and traumatic impact on the victims of the theft. The tremendous perform of the Virgin Islands Police Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, even so, sent the supreme reward to the victims and the men and women of our Territory – justice, prolonged terms of imprisonment and whole restitution”, United States Legal professional Delia L. Smith stated. The Customs and Border Defense, Homeland Protection Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Agency investigated, and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted this scenario. This exertion is section of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the best-stage felony corporations that threaten the United States working with a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-company tactic. Further facts about the OCDETF Method can be located at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
