Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Wednesday charging more than 16 individuals in connection with a string of store robberies along the Eastern Seaboard that law enforcement authorities say were the work of an organized crew of armed and violent District-based thieves.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia brought federal robbery charges against 16 people accused of involvement in the crimes.
Gun charges were also filed against 13 of the suspects, and two defendants — 32-year-old Jameise Christian and 28-year-old William Hunter, both of the District — were charged with conspiracy to commit carjacking.
“The defendants targeted small businesses along the East Coast, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry from hardworking families,” David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said in a press release. “For the past 20 months, the FBI worked with our partners across state lines to connect the defendants to these heists. Today’s indictment is a testament to the strength of our partnerships and the commitment we all share to eradicating violent crime.”
The defendants are accused of robbing nine different businesses in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida between January 2022 and January 2023. The Virginia robberies targeted two stores in Falls Church and two in Springfield, both of which are located in the D.C. metro area.
James Dennehy, the special agent in charge of FBI-Newark, said the suspects committed “take-over style armed robberies meant to terrify and overwhelm store owners and employees.”
Prosecutors said the armed robbers disguised themselves in dark clothing, masks and gloves, and quickly ransacked the businesses in a smash-and-grab fashion before fleeing to vehicles outside.
All of the businesses were owned and operated by Asian-Americans, but U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said he’s not pursuing hate crime charges because he didn’t think the victims were targeted because of their race.
Twelve of the defendants reside in the District. Two others live in Maryland, and one lives in Virginia and another lives in California.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.