Jamal L. Vassie Sentenced in KC Armed Robbery Spree

Armed and determined, Jamal L. Vassie, 27, of Kansas City, Mo., orchestrated a violent crime spree that terrorized local businesses and residents—until federal justice caught up. Today, U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough sentenced Vassie to 11 years in federal prison without parole for conspiracy to commit armed robbery, the actual armed robbery of a Public Storage facility, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The conviction, handed down Aug. 16, 2016, after a trial that peeled back layers of criminal planning, revealed chilling details. Vassie first proposed robbing a bank, but when co-conspirator Sergio A. Rascoe expressed unease about working with unknown accomplice Gary S. Dorch, 23, they decided to test Dorch’s nerve with a carjacking. The group targeted a woman at a car wash, where Rascoe pointed a firearm at her and demanded her keys—stealing her Chrysler Sebring to use in their next crime.

That stolen vehicle became the getaway car for the armed robbery of Public Storage at 9820 Holmes in Kansas City. Inside, Dorch held the clerk at gunpoint, demanding cash, the victim’s wallet, and cellphone. Outside, Vassie and Randolph E. Wells, 31, waited nearby, ready to intercept if police pursuit forced an escape on foot. But things unraveled fast. Vassie and Wells were apprehended immediately after the robbery, while Rascoe and Dorch led officers on a chaotic chase through residential streets—ending in a crash with a truck and their arrests.

Vassie wasn’t just involved in one robbery—he was a key player in a broader crime wave. Court documents reveal he, Wells, and Rascoe participated in the violent takeover of five hotels, two storage facilities, a cellphone store, and a bank, alongside three separate carjackings. The scale and repetition of the crimes point to a crew operating with military precision and zero regard for civilian safety.

At the time of these federal offenses, Vassie was barely four months out of state prison, on parole for the armed robbery of a Papa John’s Pizza. His return to violence so soon underscores a pattern prosecutors refused to ignore. Wells was sentenced Sept. 18, 2015, to 10 years without parole; Dorch got five years on July 22, 2015. Rascoe, 30, has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and Matthew A. Moeder prosecuted the case, built through relentless investigation by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Independence, Mo., Police Department. The message is clear: violent crime conspiracies won’t fester in the shadows forever.