Long Beach Kingpin Gets 28+ Years for Antelope Valley Heists

LOS ANGELES – The Antelope Valley just got a little safer. Kaleb Williams, 38, of Long Beach, is headed to federal prison for more than 28 years after being convicted of masterminding a ruthless crew that terrorized businesses and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars. U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha handed down the 339-month sentence today, along with an order to pay $503,428 in restitution to the victims.

The feds say Williams orchestrated a series of brazen armed robberies starting in July 2019. The crew’s first major score: a Lancaster jewelry store. According to court documents, Williams, along with Gilbert Alexander Bailey Jr., 38, of Los Angeles, and Tonisha Marie Johnson, 44, of Lancaster, descended on the store. Johnson acted as lookout while Bailey and two others stormed inside, brandishing handguns and intimidating employees and a customer. They smashed a display case, grabbing approximately 348 pieces of jewelry valued at around $479,000, along with a Glock firearm. Damage to the store totaled around $5,000.

But the jewelry store wasn’t a one-off. Williams’ crew continued their rampage. In October 2019, they hit a Party City in Palmdale, making off with roughly $10,000. The robbery turned violent when they physically grabbed a store employee, dragging her through the store. One robber even fired a .45-caliber handgun at a closing glass door, shattering it to facilitate their escape. In May 2020, they targeted a Home Depot in Lancaster, stealing approximately $6,828 from the store vault at gunpoint. These weren’t petty thefts; they were calculated, violent acts of intimidation.

“Violent gun crime corrodes our community’s feeling of safety,” stated United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Today’s sentence shows criminals that when you break the law and use a gun to do it, the penalties will be severe.” A jury found Williams guilty in September 2023 of two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, three counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), and two counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The case is a key part of “Operation Safe Cities,” a federal initiative focused on prosecuting the most dangerous criminals driving violent crime in the region.

Williams wasn’t working alone. His co-conspirator, Terrance Cleyon Pearson, 44, of Long Beach, was also convicted at the same trial on similar charges and is scheduled for sentencing on August 30th. Four additional accomplices – Tevaughn Brown, 33, of Bellflower; Da’Mari Mario Crane, 23, of Lancaster; and Tonisha Marie Johnson, 44, of Lancaster – have also been convicted and await sentencing. The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spearheaded the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott M. Lara and Kevin J. Butler handling the prosecution.

This conviction sends a clear message: the feds are coming for those who prey on communities with violence and firearms. While 28 years won’t undo the trauma inflicted on the victims, it’s a significant step towards holding Williams accountable and disrupting his criminal enterprise. The remaining accomplices will soon face their own reckoning.

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