Two individuals allegedly responsible for the sledgehammer robbery of a Westchester jewelry store were cuffed in New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky announced. Kevin Williams and Byron Wilson face charges of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery, with each charge carrying a hefty 20-year maximum sentence.
The duo, along with their co-conspirators, reportedly descended on a Hartsdale jewelry store last December in a grand display that ended with an estimated $1.7 million in shinies lifted. “As alleged, Kevin Williams and Byron Wilson, along with their co-conspirators, carried out the violent robbery of a jewelry store in broad daylight. Armed with sledgehammers, the defendants smashed their way in and then plundered the store of about $1.7 million in jewelry, diamonds, and luxury watches, all while innocent customers and employees hid for their safety. Today’s arrests should make clear that if you commit such brazen and dangerous crimes in this District, we will find you and hold you responsible,” stated Podolsky. These allegations are not yet proven in court, and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
On the day of the robbery, Williams, Wilson, and company supposedly piloted a stolen car from New Jersey to Hartsdale, New York, and at approximately 11:07 a.m., they made their notorious entrance. They then returned to New Jersey bearing bags of stolen jewels and were spotted later flashing thick wads of cash in celebratory photos.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, Newark Field Office, and several local law enforcement partners are being lauded by Podolsky for their "outstanding work." Surveillance footage and cooperative police efforts led to the arrests, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Reyhan Watson spearheading the prosecution. Details of the unsealing of the Complaint were released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Presently, Williams, 26, and Wilson, 24, are to stand before the bar in White Plains federal court, where the maximum sentences to be meted out will, eventually, be determined by a judge despite the statutory maximums set forth by Congress.
