D.C. Man Sentenced for Armed Robberies, Carjacking

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington, D.C. man was sentenced today to nearly 30 years in prison for his participation in three armed robberies and an armed carjacking.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Lamont Kortez Gaines, 29, participated in the armed robbery of an Advance America Cash Advance store in Alexandria and two 7-Eleven convenience stores in Arlington. During the robberies, a semi-automatic, submachine-gun style pistol with an extended and loaded magazine was brandished at the businesses’ employees.  Additionally, Gaines participated in an armed carjacking in Alexandria. Three of Gaines’ co-conspirators—Andrew Bernard Duncan, 28, Desmar Rashad Gayles, 27, and Anton Durrell Harris, 29, all of Washington, D.C.—previously pleaded guilty to charges of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and each was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which 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.

This case was investigated by the Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, which is composed of FBI Special Agents, and task force officers from the Arlington County Police, the Alexandria City Police, the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, the Leesburg Police Department, the Herndon Police Department, the Fairfax City Police, and the Vienna Police, and works in partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service. The task force worked cooperatively and extensively with the City of Alexandria Police, Arlington County Police, and the Prince George’s County Police, Maryland, on this investigation. The task force is charged with identifying, investigating, disrupting and bringing to justice the most violent and egregious criminal enterprises and actors impacting the National Capital Region.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander E. Blanchard and Rebeca H. Bellows prosecuted the case.

Alexandria Police Department, Arlington County Police Department, Fairfax County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, provided significant assistance during this investigation and prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-106.