Falls Teen Allegedly Points Gun at Man, Steals iPhone in Craigslist Setup

A 19-year-old Menomonee Falls man is facing charges after he and two friends allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint whom they set up using Craigslist.

Marcus M. Smith-Reaves pointed a black hangun - which turned out to be a BB gun - at a man and stole a $400 iPhone.

Smith-Reaves, Vernell S. Haywood, 22, of Milwaukee, and Falon M. Booker, 29, of Milwaukee, were charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Sunday with one count of armed robbery. If convicted, they each face up to 40 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

On Sept 10, the victim placed an ad on Craigslist selling an iPhone 4S for $400. Smith-Reaves called the man and said he would like to meet up and purchase the item, so the victim said they could meet at a gas station near North 91^st Street and Silver Spring Drive.

At 10:30 p.m., Smith-Reaves called the victim again and told him he would still like to meet and buy the phone, so the man and two friends took a bus from his home to the gas station and waited for 20 minutes until the three suspects showed up in a Ford Taurus.

Smith-Reaves was sitting in the passenger seat and told the victim to get in the car, but he refused, so Smith-Reaves got out and looked at the phone. They then agreed on a sale price of $375 and walked toward the gas station to get change, but it was closed.

They then walked back to the car and Booker said she wanted to look at the phone and its box again because the phone was for her. She then took the phone, gave it to Smith-Reaves and put the car in reverse.

The victim ran after the car and reached through the window to grab the phone, but Smith-Reaves then pointed a black handgun at him and said he wasn’t getting the phone back. Haywood then got out of the back of the car and the victim was afraid he was armed as well, so he began to run away; however, after Haywood got back in the car, the man ran after the suspects again and grabbed onto the quarter panel of the car as it drove off, but he fell off.

The trio drove westbound on Silver Spring, but the victim was able to get the license plate number and called police, who then found the cell phone box near the gas station with Booker’s fingerprints on it.

Police went to Smith-Reaves’ home in the N1900 block of Grand Avenue and arrested him as he was trying to hide the phone under a piece of furniture. He admitted to the theft and said afterwards Booker drove him home and he hid the gun—which was a BB gun—inside the console of a couch in an upstairs computer room of his house.

Smith-Reaves and Haywood are being held in custody on $10,000 cash bail and has been ordered over to the JUSTICE 2000 program while awaiting trial. Booker is being held on $1,000 bail and also is ordered over to the JUSTICE 2000 program.