Convicted if Kidnapping, Robbing, Terrorizing Three Women in
Violent, Hours-Long Crime Spree
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Kansas City, Kansas, men were
sentenced in federal court today for a violent, hours-long crime spree in which
they kidnapped, robbed, and terrorized three women.
Anthony B. Williams, 37, and Jamerl M. Wortham, 34, were
sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes.
Williams was sentenced to four consecutive terms of life in federal prison
without parole. Wortham was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison without
parole. Williams was sentenced as an armed career criminal and “three strikes”
violent felon, due to his prior felony convictions.
On Feb. 14, 2019, Williams and Wortham were each found
guilty at trial of all 17 counts contained in a federal indictment. Following
the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2019 that the statutory definition of a
“crime of violence” is unconstitutionally vague, three of those counts
(possession of a short-barreled shotgun in furtherance of kidnapping) have been
dismissed.
Williams and Wortham were sentenced today on their
convictions of one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, three counts of
kidnapping, one count of carjacking, one count of conspiracy to commit armed
robbery, one count of attempted armed robbery, one count of distribution of
PCP, three counts of possession of a short-barreled shotgun in furtherance of a
crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, one count of being felons in
possession of a firearm, one count of possession of an unregistered short-barreled
shotgun, and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial
number.
During the early morning hours of April 9, 2016, Wortham and
Williams, along with another man who is not identified in court records, stole
a Jaguar in Kansas City, Kansas, then set off to Kansas City, Missouri, with a
plan to rob people at ATM machines. While driving around the Westport
entertainment district, at approximately 1:30 a.m., the men came across M.M., a
woman who was waiting to be picked up by an Uber car. One of the men stepped
out of the stolen Jaguar, put his arm around M.M., and corralled her into the
vehicle.
They drove to a set of ATMs located in the River Market
neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. They waited until a red Toyota Camry
pulled up to use the ATM at approximately 2 a.m. They drove up behind the Camry, where two
women, T.J. and Y.C., were attempting to deposit money into the ATM. One of the
defendants and the other man approached the Camry, pointed a loaded sawed-off
shotgun at the driver and passenger, demanded money, then forced them into the
backseat of the Camry. The two men then got in the driver and passenger seats
of the vehicle and sped away towards Kansas City, Kansas, with the stolen
Jaguar (with M.M. a passenger) following close behind.
Once in Kansas City, Kansas, Williams and Wortham forced all
of the victims into the Camry. They took the victims to another ATM in Kansas
City, Kansas, and told them to withdraw as much money as they could from their
bank accounts. After leaving the ATM, Williams and Wortham forced M.M. and Y.C.
to smoke PCP while they drove for hours around the Kansas City metro area. During the entirety of this time, the victims
were consistently threatened with death and bodily harm while the defendants
pointed the sawed-off shotgun in the victims’ direction. Williams also
indicated he was armed with a handgun. Williams and Wortham intended to find a
discrete location in which they could sexually assault the victims.
At about 5 a.m., the men split the victims up into two
separate cars – with Wortham in the stolen Jaguar with T.J., and Williams in
the stolen Camry with M.M. and Y.C. While they caravanned through Kansas City,
Kansas, police officers recognized the stolen Jaguar and engaged it in pursuit.
The Jaguar fled at a high rate of speed, lost control, then crashed with T.J.
in the passenger seat of the vehicle. After the crash, Wortham fled from the
vehicle on foot but was apprehended shortly after and placed under arrest. T.J.
was unhurt in the crash. Discovered inside of the vehicle was a loaded Coast to
Coast 20-gauge shotgun that had approximately 12-inches of the barrel sawed
off, along with the shotgun stock shortened.
In the stolen Camry, Williams and another man drove M.M. and
Y.C. throughout the Kansas City metro area in search of drugs and a house to
use. At approximately 8 a.m., the other man was dropped off at an unknown
location. With only Williams in the vehicle, M.M. found an opportunity to jump
out of the Camry at a stop sign, run into a convenience store, and call the
police. Soon after, Y.C. also attempted to escape the vehicle, but had to fight
Williams to get out of his grasp. Once out of his grasp, Y.C. ran down a
residential street, with Williams chasing behind. She used the panic button on
her key fob to set off her car alarm, which stopped Williams from pursuing.
Y.C. ran for at least three blocks until she found someone to help her, then
called the police.
Under federal law,
it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession
of any firearm or ammunition. Williams has five prior felony convictions for
robbery and attempted robbery, and a prior felony conviction for assault in
which he shot two people. Wortham has prior felony convictions for attempted
aggravated assault and failure to pay an offender registration fee.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey
Q. McCarther and Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, the Kansas
City, Kansas, Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives.
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