Alonzo Wiatt Sansbury, a 56-year-old Indianapolis man, has been handed a ten-year federal prison sentence, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after he entered guilty pleas for commercial robbery and attempted commercial robbery. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, Sansbury's criminal endeavors spanned a single day—on May 17—beginning with an unsuccessful robbery attempt at a Dollar Tree on North Keystone Avenue and culminating with a completed armed robbery at Big Lots on North Allisonville Road.
The sequence of events unfolded swiftly; Sansbury threatened employees with implied violence to unsuccessfully try and quickly extract cash from the Dollar Tree. Later that day, he used an object to simulate a firearm at Big Lots, where he was successful in obtaining money. Both incidents were confirmed by video evidence. Sansbury's actions betrayed a long history of law-breaking, with a criminal record reaching back to 1989 and including various convictions that span theft to burglary to robbery.
United States Attorney Zachary A. Myers underscored the gravity of Sansbury's repeat offenses, saying, "For more than two decades, this criminal has repeatedly demonstrated his utter disregard for the law or the safety and security of others." The case investigation involved teamwork between the FBI and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and was finally brought to a close by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate was tasked with the prosecution of this case, an effort that Myers expressed gratitude for. This sentencing also plays into the larger framework of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative aimed to reduce violent crime and gun violence, helpfully making neighborhoods safer for all residents. This strategy champions trust-building and legitimacy within the community, supports local violent crime prevention efforts, determines key strategic enforcement priorities, and commits to assessing the outcomes.
