U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Xavier Jones, 26, of Washington, D.C., to 22 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for his role in robbing four cell phone stores in Baltimore County, Howard County, and Prince George’s County, Maryland. Jones was also ordered to pay $74,141.26 in restitution.
Phil Selden, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the parties’ plea agreement, Jones and his co-conspirators brandished firearms during the robberies, threatened to kill employees and customers, physically moved victims throughout the stores, and pepper sprayed victims during one of the robberies.
The final robbery occurred on December 23, 2020, at an AT&T store in Owings Mills, Maryland. Co-conspirat
or Rico Dashiell, 26, of Fort Washington, Maryland, entered the AT&T store pretending to be a customer. After Jones and co-conspirator Donte Herring, 25, of Washington, DC, entered the store, Dashiell brandished a firearm announcing a robbery. Jones and Herring stole $48,767 worth of Apple and Samsung Galaxy devices, 76 in total.
Additionally, Dashiell directed an employee to open the store’s cash register before stealing $322. The perpetrators forced three victims into a room containing a safe and then proceeded to pepper spray them.
The robbers then fled the store in a stolen Kia Niro with registration tags from another vehicle.
During the course of their conduct, the robbers inadvertently took a 3SI GPS tracker which was in one of the stolen cell phone boxes. As the perpetrators fled, the tracker was activated. Law enforcement tracked the stolen vehicle to a single-family residence in Catonsville, Maryland where a friend of Jones lived.
Aviation units observed and filmed the robbers outside of the residence unloading the stolen AT&T merchandise and taking the items into the residence. Law enforcement also found a stolen Dodge Caravan from a previous robbery at the residence.
The initial robbery happened on October 23, 2020, at a Verizon store in College Park, Maryland. Jones and a co-conspirator forced victims into a backroom before directing an employee to open a safe. The robbers then proceeded to steal $21,440.93 in mobile devices.
Then on December 8, 2020, Jones and a co-conspirator robbed the Russell Cellular Verizon store in Columbia, Maryland. Jones and a co-conspirator initially posed as customers before pulling a firearm on an employee. The robbers then moved the employee into a backroom, ordering him to open the safe. Jones and his co-conspirator stole $22,000.33 worth of mobile devices — including numerous iPhones — and $1,273, from the safe.
On December 17, 2020, Jones and Herring robbed another Russell Cellular Verizon store – this time in Halethorpe, Maryland. The perpetrators again initially posed as customers before brandishing firearms and pointing them at an employee. Herring ordered the employee to open a safe and then they proceeded to steal various electronic devices — including multiple boxes of Apple cellular phones, watches, and iPads — worth approximately $27,940.
Additionally, Herring forced the employee to give him $1,313 from the cash register. They then fled in a stolen Dodge Caravan.
Dashiell previously pleaded guilty for his role in the robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Herring was convicted at trial and has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Selden commended the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, Howard County Police Department, and Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Selden also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Michael F. Aubin who are prosecuting the case.
