Brothers sent to prison for armed robberies
Three brothers have been sentenced to prison for a series of armed robberies across Virginia and Maryland, including the robbery of a tobacco shop in Bailey’s Crossroads.
A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia says the brothers, from Washington, D.C., robbed a convenience store, four tobacco shops, and a gas station between September 2023 and February 2024.
During the robberies, the brothers wore masks and gloves, brandished firearms, assaulted a victim, and stole money and cigarettes.
On Dec. 18, 2024, Andre Joel White Jr., 41, pled guilty to three counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He was sentenced on Aug. 7 to 10 years and six months in prison.
On Feb. 5, Abdullah Khalil Ismael DeVaughn Michelle, aka Damien Devaughn Moore, 43, pled guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He received a sentence of 21 years on July 2.
The youngest brother, Aaron Isaiah Devaughn Aaron White, 29, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
One of their crimes was the robbery of Tobacco Mart at 5707 Seminary Road in Bailey’s Crossroads.
According to an affidavit filed by the FBI, they arrived at the store shortly before 11 p.m. on Dec. 4, 2023, and robbed an employee at gunpoint as he was counting the money in the register while preparing to close the store.
One of the brothers, who was armed with a handgun, jumped over the sales counter and demanded cash. After taking approximately $700 from the register, he forced the employee to the back of the store and demanded that the employee open the safe.
The employee, however, did not have access to the safe. Meanwhile, the other two brothers loaded up approximately 150 cartons of Newport cigarettes, valued at $12,500, in plastic bags.
Surveillance footage showed the brothers fled in a gray Toyota Camry they had stolen in D.C. Cell location data showed that Michelle’s and White’s phones were all in the general area of the store at the time of the robbery.