Three Men Sentenced to Prison for Violent Robbery of a Minneapolis Jewelry Store

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three Minneapolis men have been sentenced to prison for violently robbing a south Minneapolis jewelry store.

According to court documents, on May 16, 2019, Demilo Demontez Martin, 30, Dierre Jameson Martin, 32, and Corey Roscell Chester, 29, robbed the Joyeria Ecuador jewelry store on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Dierre Martin smashed the jewelry cases and stole jewelry while Chester and Demilo Martin restrained and assaulted the store owner. The defendants stole between $50,000 and $60,000 worth of jewelry.

The defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). Demilo Martin was sentenced to 100 months in prison, Dierre Martin was sentenced to 80 months in prison, and Chester was sentenced to 100 months in prison. All three defendants were also ordered to pay $46,755.63 in restitution to the victim.

The Hobbs Act, passed by Congress in 1946, allows federal prosecutors to prosecute individuals who commit armed robberies of businesses engaged in interstate commerce.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.