Stole Thousands of Dollars’ Worth of Opioids
Baltimore, Maryland – Jawanza Kevin Carter, age 22, of
Laurel Maryland, pleaded guilty on April 3, 2019, to robbery involving
controlled substances, and to carrying and brandishing of a firearm during and
in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robbery or
attempted armed robbery of five pharmacies and the theft of tens of thousands
of dollars’ worth of opioids.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for
the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer
L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief
Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Acting
Chief Paul Herman of the Annapolis Police Department; Anne Arundel County
Police Chief Tim Altomare; Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III of the
Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Lisa D. Myers of the Howard County
Police Department; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.
According to Carter’s plea agreement, between May 5 and
November 29, 2017, Carter and his co-conspirator Arthur Prince participated in
five armed robberies of pharmacies. In
each robbery, Carter pointed a gun at the clerk, and Carter and Prince demanded
opioid narcotics such as Oxycodone, OxyContin, Percocet, and Codeine. In most of the robberies, Carter and Prince
also stole money from the cash register and/or robbed the clerk.
Specifically, Carter admitted that he robbed: the Howard
Pharmacy in Columbia, Maryland on May 5, 2017; the Lorven Pharmacy in Laurel
Maryland on June 19, 2017; the Pasadena Pharmacy in Pasadena, Maryland on
August 25, 2017; and the Annapolis Professional Pharmacy in Annapolis, Maryland
on November 29, 2017. Carter and Prince
also attempted to rob the Pace Wellness Pharmacy in Pasadena on August 25,
2017, but were not able to steal narcotics when the clerk didn’t know where the
drugs were located. Instead, Carter and
Prince stole $180 from the cash register and robbed the clerk of her purse,
which contained $50 in cash and credit cards, among other things.
In each robbery, cell-site records showed that Carter’s
phone was in the immediate area of the pharmacy at the time of the robbery, and
his DNA was found on a reusable shopping bag left by the robbers at the Howard
Pharmacy and on a mask Carter wore during the Annapolis Professional Pharmacy
that law enforcement later recovered. In
addition, law enforcement recovered Carter’s fingerprints on one of the getaway
vehicles used by the robbers, and text messages between Carter and Prince
concerning one of the robberies. Photos
from Carter’s Snapchat account also appear to reflect large purchases in the
days and weeks after some of the robberies, including luxury items from Gucci,
a gold watch, and designer tennis shoes.
Prince was arrested after the robbery on November 29, 2017,
in Odenton, Maryland, not far from where law enforcement located the stolen
narcotics. Carter was arrested at the
home of his girlfriend in Laurel, Maryland.
Searches executed at locations associated with Carter recovered three
boxes of .40-caliber ammunition, a gun cleaning kit and related items, and an
empty handgun carrying case with a clip in it.
After his arrest and while he was detained, Carter attempted
to obstruct justice. In recorded jail
calls, Carter instructed his girlfriend to get rid of a bag used in connection
with one of the robberies, which she did.
On December 4, 2017, Carter coached his girlfriend on what to say to law
enforcement about two vehicles used in the robberies that were titled and
registered to her. Carter told his
girlfriend to tell law enforcement that one of the cars is a “family and
friends car,” and that she drove the other vehicle.
Carter faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for robbery
involving controlled substances; and a mandatory minimum of seven years and up
to life in prison for brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a
crime of violence. Chief U.S. District
Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for August 21, 2019, at 2:30
p.m.
Co-conspirator Arthur Raymond Prince, age 20, of Laurel
Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting robbery involving
controlled substances, and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm
during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed
robberies of five pharmacies. Prince
also faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for aiding and abetting robbery
involving controlled substances; and a mandatory minimum of seven years and up
to life in prison for aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during
and in relation to a crime of violence.
Judge Bredar has scheduled Prince’s sentencing for April 9, 2019, at 10
a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a
program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they
serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for
everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods
(PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction
efforts. PSN is an evidence-based
program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad
spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent
crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address
them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most
violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry
programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the
Prince George’s County Police Department, the Annapolis Police Department, the
Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department,
the Howard County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County State’s
Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul
A. Riley and Brandon K. Moore, who are prosecuting the case.
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