An armed robbery crime spree has two coconspirators, each facing up to 20 years in federal prison.

In separate trials, Colin Powell Lacey,28, of Hyde Park, and Kyle Richard Williams, 25, of Inglewood, each pleaded guilty to robbing at gunpoint five 7-Eleven stores and a smoke shop in Hollywood, West Hollywood (Los Angeles County), and mid-city Los Angeles, according to an Aug. 26 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

Both men were indicted by a federal grand jury in March and have been in custody since then. At their arraignments, Lacey was charged with four counts of robbery, and Williams was charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

In plea agreements, however, Lacey and Williams each pleaded guilty to one count of “conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by robbery” under the 1946 Hobbs Act (18 U.S.C § 1951).

Lacey will be sentenced on November 4. Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9. Both men face a statutory maximum of 20 years.

Two-week Crime Spree

According to USAO press releases, between Nov. 13 and Nov. 29, 2021, Lacey and Williams used Lacey's Hyundai to travel to and get away from the robberies. They took turns committing the armed robberies with a semi-automatic handgun while the other drove the getaway car. No shots were fired.

On Nov. 29, they robbed three stores in one day. Lacey and Williams also attempted a hold-up on December 30. While Lacey waited outside, Williams pointed a gun at a cashier in El Segundo, but the cashier showed him there was no money in the cash register, and they fled. This resulted in Williams' attempted robbery charge.

All told, they netted a total of $2,859 from the robberies, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The F.B.I. worked with the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division and the Los Angles County Sheriff's Departments Major Crimes Bureau Metro Detail to gather the evidence against Williams and Lacey.

Shut Up and Lawyer Up

In some plea agreements, charges are dropped. A skilled criminal defense attorney can be instrumental in getting charges dropped.

Anyone arrested for a federal crime should immediately do two things. Exercise the right to remain silent without the presence of an attorney and seek the expert counsel of a criminal defense attorney like one from the Sigal Law Group. Call 818-325-0570 for a free consultation.