An Atlanta woman will spend the next 21 years in prison for her role as the organizer of an armed robbery spree that spanned five counties, including Forsyth and Gwinnett, federal prosecutors said Monday.
Kesia Quinette Jackson, 46, was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $62,316 restitution for the crimes that targeted seven Walmart stores and four gas stations.
"Jackson and her crew calculated their robberies and helped drive violence and fear in multiple counties," U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak stated in a news release. "The defendant’s conviction and lengthy sentence resulted from the collaboration of multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies determined to apprehend and aggressively prosecute every member of this robbery crew."
Prosecutors said Jackson and her co-defendants also researched locations in DeKalb, Cobb and Clayton counties before committing the robberies, usually between 10 p.m. and midnight. Jackson was spotted on surveillance video talking on her phone and casing the locations the group targeted.
"For nearly two years Jackson led a robbing crew that rained terror on innocent victims, who just by chance, were in the wrong place at the wrong time, "Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta David J. LeValley said."
Jackson pleaded guilty this past November. The crimes happened between February 3, 2014, and October 26, 2015, according to Pak's office.
Co-defendants, Deanthony Foster and Eric Lamar Ross, were previously sentenced for their roles in the robberies. Foster, a gunman, received a sentence of 32 years in prison. Ross, who acted as a lookout during two of the robberies, received a sentence of five years in prison.
