Co-Defendants In Kidnapping Case of Wake Forest Man Sentenced to 286 Years of Imprisonment

• RALEIGH The United States Attorney’s Office announced that today, eight co-defendants in the kidnapping case of a Wake Forest man were sentenced by Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, for their role in the conspiracy to seize, kidnap, and abduct Frank Janssen from Wake Forest, North Carolina and transport him to Atlanta, Georgia.

The following sentences were imposed:

JAKYM TIBBS, 23 of Atlanta, GA; 52 years imprisonment

TIANNA MAYNARD 33 of Warner Robins, GA; 50 years in conjunction with a life sentence imposed by the State of Georgia for a homicide conviction.

QUANTAVIOUS THOMPSON, 21 of Atlanta, GA; 42 years imprisonment

CLIFTON ROBERTS, 32 of Atlanta, GA; 37 years imprisonment in conjunction with a life sentence imposed by the State of Georgia for a homicide conviction.

             PATRICIA ANN KRAMER,30 of Austell, GA; 30 years imprisonment

MICHAEL GOODEN, 24 of Atlanta, GA; 30 years imprisonment in conjunction with a life sentence imposed by the State of Georgia for a homicide conviction.

JENNA MARTIN, 23 of Georgia; 25 years imprisonment

            JEVANTE PRICE, 23 of Marietta, GA; 20 years imprisonment

United Blood Nation (UBN) 1-8-Trey Gang Leader KELVIN MELTON was found guilty in a jury trial of Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting, Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting, and Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of, a Crime of Violence, that being Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting on June 21, 2016. On November 10, 2016 MELTON was sentenced to life imprisonment in a Federal Super Max Facility.

Frank Janssen was taken from his home against his will on April 5, 2014. One Eight Trey Blood member MELTON, used a cell phone that he illegally possessed while serving a life sentence in North Carolina’s Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, to transmit instructions to co-conspirators in the plot who then sent threats to Janssen’s wife. Specifically, MELTON gave instructions on how to kill Mr. Janssen, dispose of his body and sanitize the crime scene.

Through a coordinated effort involving many federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team rescued Mr. Janssen at 11:55 pm on April 9, 2014, at a residence in Southeast Atlanta.

United States Attorney John Stuart Bruce stated, “The federal prosecution of Kelvin Melton’s accomplices is now nearly complete, and justice has been served. The credit for this successful prosecution goes to the hard-working prosecutors in our office, the dedicated agents of the FBI, and scores of officers from state and local agencies who worked together to rescue the victim and solve the case.”

Co-defendants Dewayne Seymore and Shameika Goodall are set for sentencing later this Spring.

The case was investigated by the FBI Charlotte, FBI Atlanta, the Wake Forest Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation with assistance by the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, Durham Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Garner Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, RDU Police, City County Bureau of Investigation, the Cobb County Police Department, Alpharetta Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina is handling the prosecution of these cases.