ST. GEORGE, UT – A Las Vegas man, who posed as an FBI agent
and then robbed Seven Oaks Fine Jewelers in St. George at gunpoint in
September, is in federal custody following an investigation by the FBI and the
St. George Police Department.
Kevin White, age 57, of Las Vegas, was arrested Monday
afternoon in Las Vegas on a federal complaint and arrest warrant charging him
with one count of Hobbs Act robbery. The FBI Criminal Apprehension Team,
comprised of officers and agents from the FBI, Las Vegas Metro Police
Department, the Henderson Police Department, and the North Las Vegas Police
Department. FBI agents from St. George and the St. George Police Department
also assisted.
The federal complaint was unsealed Tuesday morning during an
initial appearance for White in St. George.
White will remain in custody. A detention hearing may be held
later.
White, who has used at least 17 aliases, is currently on
federal supervised release after serving 165 months in prison for an armed
robbery of a Las Vegas jewelry store. According to a sentencing memo filed in
the Nevada case, White is an eight-time felon who has committed multiple
robberies.
According to the complaint, two employees were working at
the family-owned jewelry store in St. George on Sept. 28, 2019, when a black
male entered the store about 1:05 p.m.
He was wearing a straw cowboy hat, a black jacket with “FBI” on the
back, and a metal FBI badge on a lanyard around his neck. He was carrying a black portfolio, handcuffs,
and a handheld radio. He also had a
handgun in a holster on his right hip.
The man represented to the store employees that he was an
FBI agent, the complaint alleges. He
retrieved multiple FBI wanted posters from the portfolio and showed them to the
victim employees. He told the employees that the fugitives had been in the St.
George area and asked the employees if they recognized any of the
fugitives. He also asked whether anyone
else was working in the store. The employees told him they did not recognize
the fugitives and they were the only ones working in the store at that time.
The complaint alleges the man placed the posters back in the
folder and began to leave the store. He then turned toward a display case and
began asking questions about several jewelry items. He told the employees he “came in looking for
a suspect, might be leaving with an engagement ring.” The two employees, one
standing behind the counter and one a few feet from the man, displayed several
jewelry items for the man.
According to the complaint, at one point the man directed
the employee standing near him to get behind the display counter with the other
employee and pulled out a black handgun.
The complaint alleges the man, referring to a silent alarm, told the
employees, “If you hit the button, I’ll kill you.” The man grabbed the jewelry items from the
display counter and put them into a bag.
He also told the employees he would kill them if the exit doors were
locked. The victim employees feared for
their lives.
He left the store with 27 pieces of jewelry valued at
$39,214, the complaint alleges. In his
haste, he left behind a brown fabric bag and his black portfolio.
Investigators submitted the bag and portfolio with its
contents to the FBI Laboratory for forensic analysis. Agents were notified
April 13, 2020, that a male DNA profile had been obtained from the portfolio in
the textured material near the exterior stitching. The DNA profile matched
White. Physical descriptions of the suspect provided by the victim employees
and surveillance images from the business, matched White’s appearance.
The potential maximum penalty for a Hobbs Act robbery is 20
years in prison.
Complaints are not findings of guilt. Individuals charged in a complaint are
presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
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