Gunman Who Robbed Wal-Mart Stores Sentenced In Federal Court

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — An Atlanta man who robbed a string of Wal-Marts and another store at gunpoint, including locations in Gwinnett County, is on his way to prison for the next three decades.

Deanthony Foster, 28, was sentenced in federal court to 32 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the armed robberies of seven business throughout metro Atlanta.

Prosecutors say Foster carried a gun in all of the robberies, pointed the gun at store employees, and even shot into the floor at one of the Wal-Mart robberies while demanding money.

He worked with other people who acted as lookouts using cellphones.

"Foster cared nothing for people or their safety while he sought to enrich himself at the end of a gun," said U. S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. "He seriously injured one individual and terrorized many others, including employees and members of the public by displaying a firearm, and in one instance, discharging a firearm. His sentence is lengthy and reflective of the seriousness of his crime."

From May 15 to Oct. 26 2015, Foster and others committed a series of armed robberies before they were identified by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Six of the robberies targeted Wal-Mart stores.

The defendants researched the locations of the stores in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb counties, then conducted surveillance before and during the robberies. They communicated by cellphone before and after each robbery, always with one or two of them acting as getaway drivers waiting in the parking lot.

The lookouts were captured on in-store videos while talking on their cellphones and casing the stores.

In each robbery, Foster entered the stores wearing a surgical mask, with a gun in his hand, and demanded money from employees who were emptying cash registers. In the last robbery, Foster shot his gun into the floor near the employees when they did not immediately meet his demands for money.

On Sept. 26, 2015, the Wal-Mart on Jimmy Carter Boulevard near Norcross was robed by a gunman wearing a mask.

Police said as a self checkout cashier was emptying a register inside the Walmart when an armed gunman walked up, racked the slide of a handgun and stole more than $5,000.

Foster also has been ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $24,791 and a special assessment of $200. Foster was convicted on August 11, 2016, after he pleaded guilty.

"Mr. Foster was responsible for a violent crime spree where others were seriously hurt," said David J. LeValley, special agent in charge of the FBI Atlanta field office. "As a result of much hard work by many law enforcement agencies working together with federal prosecutors, this sentencing in federal court to a lengthy prison sentence will not only hold him accountable but will make our community a safer place for all."

After the indictment, law enforcement agents found that the defendant had participated in another commercial robbery in Cobb County where he shot an employee in the leg when the victim struggled with him.

The case was investigated by the FBI, police departments of Cobb County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County, Hapeville, Roswell, Riverdale and Dunwoody and the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.

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