In a coordinated effort by federal and state law enforcement, four convicted felons on probation or parole have received federal prison sentences for attempting to rob a Dunwoody jewelry store. The collaboration between agencies was crucial in stopping the crime, emphasizing a strict approach to repeated violent offenses.
The U.S. Department of Justice reported the case outcome. U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan noted that the defendants posed a threat to public safety by targeting innocent victims in their crime spree. Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, highlighted the offenders' disregard for the law and public safety.
The elaborate scheme was initially orchestrated by Deuntria Lyons, a south Georgia inmate serving six life sentences at Valdosta State Prison who, until his recent conspiracy indictment, had been using contraband phones to coordinate robberies. Lyons and his accomplices were under surveillance by the FBI, culminating in their arrest and the recovery of firearms and burglary tools near the jewelry store they planned to target.
U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen sentenced each man according to the severity of their roles and criminal histories. Melvin Asbury of Atlanta, Georgia, and Mark Anthony Oliver, also from Atlanta, received over five years in prison, while Jamaury Marshall of Johns Creek, Georgia, was handed an eight-year, four-month sentence. Santino Demarco Parks got seven years, each term to be followed by supervised release.
The prosecution of the case was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Leanne M. Marek, with investigations led by the FBI. The sentences were announced on Friday.