Headlines

Woman Who Held Door for Robbers Is Headed to Prison

Published

7 years ago

March 16, 2017

INSTORE Staff

The robbers took $100,000 worth of jewelry.

A woman who held the door for three masked gunmen to enter a jewelry store in the U.S. Virgin Islands has been sentenced to 70 months in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Joycelyn Hewlett announced.

After a five-day trial in March 2015, a federal jury on St. Croix convicted Ketisha Iles, 25, of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and interference with commerce by robbery.

Evidence presented at trial established that on June 17, 2013, after Iles was buzzed into Perfection Jewelry Store, she held the door open for the three gunmen, Hewlett said in a press release.

Once in the store, one of the gunmen hit an employee several times with a gun, according to the release. Another gunman stood at the door while the others broke the display case and stole approximately $100,000 worth of 14-carat gold jewelry.

The evidence also showed that Iles knew of the robbery before it happened and agreed to hold the door open for the gunmen, Hewlett said.

Senior District Court Judge Raymond Finch also sentenced Iles to three years of supervised release and a special monetary assessment of $200.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”