CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A New York man was given eight and a half years in prison by a federal judge today for his role in two gunpoint robberies of jewelry stores in St. Thomas.
U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Gomez sentenced Jakeem Emmanuel, 21, to 8 years and six months imprisonment and five years of supervised release, for Hobbs Act Robbery and related gun charges, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Judge Gomez also ordered Emmanuel to perform 400 hours of community service and pay a special assessment of $300.
On August 10, 2016, Emmanuel pleaded guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, one count of Brandishing a Firearm during a Federal Crime of Violence, and Assault in the First Degree.
On March 3, 2016, a federal grand jury returned an 8-count indictment, which was a result of an investigation into Hobbs Act robberies of two jewelry stores on St. Thomas: Signature Jewelers on August 19, 2015, and 3G’s Jewelry and Repair on September 14, 2015.
According to the Indictment, Emmanuel and other individuals conspired to rob the stores and brandished weapons to threaten and intimidate store employees. The robbers used duct tape to bind and gag the victims and then fled the store with cash and merchandise.
The case is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD).
It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anna Vlasova.