Detroit Thug Gets 3 Years in Stamford Rolex Heist

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Another piece of the 2014 Stamford Town Center Mall jewelry heist is behind bars. BRANDON PAUL QUAINTON, 23, of Detroit, Michigan, received a 36-month federal prison sentence today after pleading guilty to his role in the brazen robbery of Sidney Thomas Jewelers. U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden also tacked on three years of supervised release following Quainton’s incarceration.

The November 26, 2014 robbery unfolded with chilling efficiency. Dajuhn Griffin first jacked a Stamford resident’s SUV, becoming the getaway driver. Griffin then transported QUAINTON, Richard Mathew Bailey and Brian Moore to the mall during peak shopping hours. While QUAINTON acted as the lookout in the vehicle, Griffin, Bailey, and Moore stormed into Sidney Thomas Jewelers armed with hammers. They didn’t bother with subtlety.

The trio wasted no time smashing open a display case and making off with over $250,000 worth of Rolex watches. Security guards immediately gave chase, managing to snag Bailey inside the mall as he attempted to flee. But QUAINTON, Griffin, and Moore managed to escape in the stolen SUV, leaving it abandoned in the mall’s parking garage shortly after. Stamford Police recovered the vehicle, but the perpetrators remained at large for over a year.

Federal investigators quickly pieced together the plot. Evidence revealed that QUAINTON and Moore were the masterminds behind the operation, recruiting Bailey and Griffin to carry out the robbery. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment crime; it was a calculated, coordinated effort. Quainton was finally apprehended in Detroit on November 30, 2015, and ultimately admitted guilt to one count of interfering with commerce by robbery on July 21, 2016.

Quainton isn’t the only member of the crew facing consequences. Brian Moore received 48 months in prison on November 23, 2015. Dajuhn Griffin got 51 months on January 28, 2016. And Richard Bailey, caught at the scene, received a lighter sentence of 24 months on September 6, 2016. The FBI and Stamford Police Department collaborated on the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy C. Brown and Gabriel J. Vidoni prosecuting the case.

This case serves as a stark reminder that no matter how quickly a crew flees the scene, federal law enforcement will relentlessly pursue justice. The streets of Stamford – and every city – are a little safer with these thugs behind bars. The remaining Rolexes are likely already fenced, but the message is clear: robbing jewelers comes with a hefty price.