Jewelry Store Robber Pleads Guilty in Federal Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 30, 2013 |
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Huby Ramkissoon, age 37, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty today to the May 14, 2008 robbery of Dunay Jewelers, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, before Senior United States District Court Judge James M. Munley.
According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, the charges and guilty plea are part of a continuing investigation into a 2008 scheme to rob Luzerne County jewelry stores. To date, four other individuals have been charged in connection with that scheme in either federal or state court. Devon Nash and Jerry Smith were charged and convicted in federal court in connection with the May 5, 2008 robbery of the Steve Hydock Diamonds in Kingston, Pennsylvania. Jerry Smith and Jason Soto were charged and convicted in connection with the May 14, 2008 robbery of Dunay Jewelers, a jewelry store located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Smith was convicted in federal court, and Soto was convicted in state court. Finally, Kirk Robinson was recently charged by the federal grand jury with conspiracy to use firearms in connection with both robberies and is pending trial on the charges.
Huby Ramkissoon was originally charged by a complaint in 2008 by the Wilkes-Barre Police for the robbery. At the time the complaint was filed in 2008, Ramkissoon was a fugitive. On October 16, 2012, a federal grand jury in Scranton returned an indictment against Ramkissoon charging him with the robbery scheme.
On December 18, 2012, special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation located and arrested Ramkissoon in New York City.
Today, Ramkissoon pleaded guilty to two counts associated with the Dunay Jewelers robbery: (1) interference with commerce by robbery; and (2) using and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of the robbery.
The sentence following this guilty plea will be imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
In this particular case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational, and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney John Gurganus is prosecuting the case.