Two Detroit Teenagers Plead Guilty to Their Roles in Armed Robberies
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 10, 2013 |
The collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement under the Detroit One program is beginning to show dividends with the investigation, arrests, and now convictions stemming from a string of armed robberies that occurred in the east side of Detroit and surrounding cities last winter, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced.
Last week, Jesse Dismukes, Jr., 18, of Detroit, admitted his role in two of these robberies when he pleaded guilty on to two counts of robbery affecting interstate commerce and two counts of using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence. The charges stem from armed robberies of a Radio Shack store in Eastpointe on December 1, 2012, and an AT&T store in Warren on January 26, 2013. Dismukes used an AK-47 to steal cellular telephones at gunpoint.
A few weeks earlier, on May 2, 2013, David Lamont Holland, 19, of Detroit, also admitted responsibility for his role in the armed robbery of the Radio Shack in Eastpointe, as well as his role in another armed robbery of a T-Mobile store in Detroit on December 7, 2012.
The pleas were entered before U.S. District Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff. Both individuals are in custody awaiting sentencing. Dismukes and Holland each face mandatory minimum sentences of 32 years in custody.
Earlier this year, a multi-agency task force, including representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; Detroit Police Department; Michigan State Police; Wayne County Sheriff’s Office; Michigan Department of Corrections; and other local police departments, began investigating the string of armed robberies involving cellular telephone and electronic stores in Detroit, Warren, Eastpointe, and Highland Park, which occurred in December 2012 through January 2013. Through effective collaboration, this task force was able to identify numerous suspects and charge nine individuals in federal court.
“Detroit One is bringing together law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute dangerous criminals and get them off the streets,” McQuade said. “Violent, armed robbers like these defendants endanger lives and are not welcome in our neighborhoods.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Foley, III stated, “These convictions send a strong message that dangerous criminals who carry out acts of violence will face severe penalties for their crimes. The FBI is committed to the Detroit One initiative and to ensuring the safety of citizens.”
Detroit One is a collaborative effort launched in March between law enforcement and the community to reduce homicide and other violent crime in Detroit. By working collaboratively, local, state, and federal law enforcement is striving to maximize its ability to identify and arrest the persons and groups initiating the violence in Detroit. These convictions are some of the tangible and significant results of this joint effort.