Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox has sentenced Xavier Jones, 26, from Washington, D.C., to 22 years in federal prison for his involvement in the armed robberies of four cell phone stores across Maryland. The sentence also includes three years of supervised release and an order to pay $74,141.26 in restitution.
Phil Selden, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, made the announcement alongside Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
The plea agreement revealed that Jones and his co-conspirators used firearms during these robberies, threatening employees and customers, moving victims within the stores, and using pepper spray on them during one incident.
The final robbery took place on December 23, 2020, at an AT&T store in Owings Mills. Rico Dashiell entered pretending to be a customer before brandishing a firearm as Jones and Donte Herring joined him to steal $48,767 worth of devices.
Dashiell also stole $322 from a cash register after forcing an employee to open it. The robbers then confined three victims in a room with a safe before pepper spraying them and fleeing in a stolen vehicle equipped with a GPS tracker that led law enforcement to their location.
Jones' criminal activities began on October 23, 2020, at a Verizon store in College Park where he forced victims into a backroom before stealing mobile devices worth over $21,000.
On December 8 that year, Jones robbed another Verizon store in Columbia with similar tactics resulting in thefts amounting to more than $22,000 worth of devices and cash.
A subsequent robbery occurred on December 17 at another Verizon store in Halethorpe where Jones and Herring stole electronics valued at approximately $27,940 after initially posing as customers.
Co-conspirator Dashiell has already pleaded guilty receiving a sentence of 12 years while Herring was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Selden commended the investigative efforts by multiple police departments including those from Baltimore County, Howard County, Prince George’s County along with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Michael F. Aubin who prosecuted this case.
For further details about resources available through the Maryland U.S Attorney’s Office visit their official website links provided above.
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