Serial Armed Robbers Convicted In Federal Court

Two men were convicted yesterday for their roles in three armed robberies of Dollar General stores in Detroit, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.

McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig, Detroit Police Department whose departments led the collaborative investigation into this armed robbery crew as part of the Detroit One initiative.

Convicted by federal jury verdict after a week-long trial were:

Dwayne Dupree, 30, of Detroit, of three counts of robbery and three counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and

Shawn Pearson, 23, of Detroit, of three counts of robbery and three counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Facts at trial showed that the men’s crime spree started on December 17, 2014, when four armed robbers stormed into the Dollar General store at 13441 E. Seven Mile Road in Detroit. The robbers, with their identities concealed with hoodies, masks and gloves, took over the counter area of the store, holding store employees at gunpoint before making off with some of the store’s money. One of the four men was Pearson. He was assisted by Dupree, who acted as a lookout.

Less than three weeks later, on January 5, 2015, two armed masked men robbed the same Dollar General store, this time firing shots at the store manager as they made their getaway. Once again, Pearson was one of the armed robbers, while this time Dupree acted as both a lookout and getaway driver.

Then, on March 19, 2015, Pearson and Dupree acted as the armed robbers of the Dollar General store at 16004 Fenkell. On this occasion, the evidence showed that Dupree fired a shot into the air to scare the store employees to move faster in turning over the store’s money.

FBI Violent Crime Task Force, working in close collaboration with members of the Detroit Police Department, followed the evidence, including ballistic, phone, and social media information, to identify Dupree and Pearson and to solve these robberies.

"The Detroit One partnership focuses on criminals like this armed robbery crew, who endanger public safety and create a climate of fear." McQuade said. "By identifying and prosecuting the individuals and groups driving violence in Detroit, we hope to make the city a safe place to live and work."

“The defendants in this string of violent robberies were brazen in both terrorizing employees and placing the public in danger", said David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Detroit Division. "Yesterday’s verdict demonstrates the value of the continuing investigative partnership between the FBI and the Detroit Police Department in our collaborative efforts to reduce violent crime in metropolitan Detroit and to keep our communities safe.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Graveline and Michael Heesters.