Joshua Deunte Caldwell, Jewelers Robbery, Texas 2016

A group of 12 individuals, including Joshua Deunte Caldwell, 26, of Houston, Texas, were involved in the conspiracy to rob Tilak Jewelers in Irving, Texas, on November 17, 2013.

Caldwell, along with Afraybeom Traverom Jackson, 27, Dominique Pearson, 25, Hilton Murdock Aitch, 56, Irving Tyrone Flanagan, 47, Larry Solomon, 42, Terrence Lynn Thompson, 53, Anthony Ray Turner, Jr, 25, Treveon Dominique Anderson, 26, Michael Cornelious, 27, Xavier Rashad Ross, 25, and Vanlisa Scott, 47, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence.

On July 2016, Caldwell pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy. He was subsequently sentenced to serve a total of 108 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade on [no date given].

The group of 12 individuals traveled from Houston, Texas, to the Dallas, Texas, area with the specific intent to rob the Tilak Jewelers store located at 8300 North MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 100, Irving, Texas. They stole a cargo van and a minivan after they arrived in the Dallas, Texas, area in order to avoid detection and apprehension by law enforcement.

Jackson, Caldwell, Pearson, Turner, Anderson, and Ross drove together in the stolen cargo van to the Tilak Jewelers store, with the specific intent to commit the robbery. Aitch, Flanagan, and Thompson participated in planning the robbery and positioned themselves outside the Tilak Jewelers store, but maintained communications with Jackson for the purpose of monitoring the robbery and alerting the participants of the presence of law enforcement.

After securing the jewelry, Jackson, Caldwell, Pearson, Turner, Anderson, and Ross fled from the robbery using the stolen cargo van. They abandoned the cargo van at a predetermined location, where Solomon was waiting in the stolen minivan. Solomon then drove them to a second predetermined location, where Cornelious was waiting in a switch vehicle. Cornelious then used the switch vehicle to further facilitate their flight from the robbery and avoid detection and apprehension by law enforcement.

The Irving Police Department, Houston Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Robinson was in charge of the prosecution.

Caldwell has been in custody since his arrest in September 2015. He is currently serving his 108-month sentence.

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