Georgia Residents Charged in Interstate Armed Jewelry Robbery Case

Larry Bernard Gilmore, 43, and Michael Bernard Gilmore, 46, both of Atlanta, Georgia, were charged by criminal complaint on Thursday with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats or violence.  The criminal complaint was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher P. Canova for the Northern District of Florida.

The charging documents allege that  Larry and Michael Gilmore conspired with Abigail Lee Kemp, 24, of Smyrna, Georgia, and Lewis Jones III, 35, of Atlanta, to commit armed robberies of six jewelry stores in Panama City Beach, Florida; Woodstock and Dawsonville, Georgia; Bluffton, South Carolina; Sevierville, Tennessee; and Mebane, North Carolina.  It is further alleged that, in each robbery, the robber brandished a firearm and ordered the employees to the back of the store where they were forced to lie face down on the ground with their hands zip tied behind their backs.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of jewelry was then removed from the jewelry display cases.

The punishment for the alleged crime is a maximum of 20 years in prison.  The initial appearance is expected to take place today with the Honorable Russell G. Vineyard for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta.  Future court appearances will take place in the U.S. District Court in Panama City, Florida, in the Northern District of Florida, on a date to be determined.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S.  Attorney Kathryn D. Risinger is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.