Two More Charged In 5-State Armed Jewelry Store Robberies

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Jacksonville, FL -- Two additional defendants have been charged in connection to a five state armed robbery that appear to have gotten its start in Woodstock.

Atlanta residents Larry Bernard Gilmore, 43, and Michael Bernard Gilmore, 46, were charged by criminal complaint on Thursday with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats or violence, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida said.

The criminal complaint was announced by Christopher P. Canova, acting U.S. attorney for the district.

The charging documents allege that the Gilmores conspired with Abigail Lee Kemp, 24, of Smyrna and Lewis Jones III, 35, of Atlanta to commit armed robberies of six jewelry stores in Woodstock, Dawsonville, Panama City Beach, Florida; 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.

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The punishment for the alleged crime is a maximum of 20 years in prison. The Gilmores made their initial court appearance Friday afternoon in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell Vineyard of the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta.

Both Jones and Kemp were indicted earlier this month for their part in the crimes.

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 United States Attorney Kathryn D. Risinger is prosecuting the case.

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