Posted on 02/03/2022 7:11:08 PM PST by Mark
Three Southern California men were charged Thursday in a federal grand jury indictment for allegedly robbing six cellphone stores in Los Angeles and Ventura counties during store hours on the same day, using hammers to smash display cases to steal iPhones and other merchandise.
The indictment charges each of the following defendants with one count of conspiracy and six counts of interference with commerce by robbery:
— Tony Tyron Lee Stewart, 21, of Highland;
— Rayford Newsome, 23, of Compton; and
— Jerome Gregory Belser, 20, of San Bernardino.
The defendants are in federal custody with arraignments scheduled for Feb. 10 in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted of all charges, each defendant would face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count, prosecutors noted.
According to the indictment, on Jan. 15, Newsome drove Stewart and Belser in a blue Kia Optima vehicle to rob T-Mobile stores in Long Beach, Carson, Inglewood, Encino and Camarillo, and an AT&T Wireless store in Woodland Hills.
Stewart and Belser allegedly entered the stores during store hours to commit the robberies while Newsome remained in the car, according to federal prosecutors.
Once inside the stores, Stewart and Belser — while shocked employees and customers stood by — allegedly used hammers to smash display cases and phone displays to steal telephones and other electronics. After stealing the merchandise, Newsome drove Stewart and Belser away from the robbery locations, the indictment alleges.
Law enforcement received reports of similar robberies that same day at cellphone stores. During the evening of the robberies, GPS location data for Stewart’s and Newsome’s phones and the blue Kia Optima showed that the two phones and the car were in the vicinity of the robberies around the time they occurred, according to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint.
That same evening, law enforcement used the tracker on the blue Kia Optima to track down the car in North Hollywood. After a short pursuit, the defendants were found in the blue Kia Optima, the affidavit states. Inside the car, officers recovered the devices reported stolen during the Encino robbery as well as hammers that had the same distinctive handle coloring as those used during that robbery.
The total loss from the six charged robberies was $33,795, according to the indictment.
Law enforcement has linked Stewart, Newsome and Belser to more than 50 cellphone store robberies throughout Southern California, according to the affidavit.
a thief called Newsom. I’ve heard this before..
In the long run policing becomes more and more a federal function and the frankenstein monster that is the Interstate Commerce Clause grows evermore hideous.
“The total loss from the six charged robberies was $33,795, according to the indictment. Law enforcement has linked Stewart, Newsome and Belser to more than 50 cellphone store robberies.”
That comes out to no more than an average of $676 per store, which is below $950, and therefore not a crime.
“Rayford Newsome”
Let’s see what Uncle Gavin has to say about that!
That’s about 1 mid-range phone per store, isn’t it?
Apparently the law has an exception if you hold your breath as long as the mask is off your face.
If you didn't know that, you're not as smart as Gavin Newsom.
The $33,795 was from the six robberies mentioned in the indictment. That certainly was not less than $950 per store. They got too greedy.
All released no bail. It’s CA
What federal laws did they break?
Excellent question!
These were three UCLA Medical students who needed cell phones for remote class work - nothing to see here - they are innocent
I guess the store sold plans that covered the whole US. These guys interfered with those plan sales. The other count probably derives from working together to interfere with interstate plan sales.
Oh, whoops. They’re toast.
Wait ‘til the perps find out that Illegals get free iPhones. (per Homan, former ICE director).
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