CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Charlotte man was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday for his conviction that included a 2019 armed robbery at a South Boulevard jewelry store.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 35-year-old Antoine Marquis Williams, 35, was ordered by Judge Frank D. Whitney to serve the sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. He was convicted for a firearms offense in connection with an armed robbery and possession of a weapon by an inmate.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, in February 2019, Williams and another individual allegedly entered the NY Jewelry & Repair Store, near the intersection of South Blvd. and Archdale Road. Williams and his co-conspirator had their faces covered and were armed with handguns.
Documents say the two men encountered the store owner who was with a customer and ordered him into the backroom with two other employees. Williams and his coconspirator then went to the front of the store and began stealing jewelry. Afterwards, Williams’ coconspirator fled the store with several items.
Williams stayed behind and became involved in a struggle with the store owner, which led to Williams discharging his firearm twice before fleeing the store.
The owner called 911 and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers located Williams hiding under a vehicle at a nearby residence. Officers also recovered the firearm Williams had used during the robbery and had attempted to discard while he was fleeing from the store.
According to court documents, in September 2021, the U.S. Marshals Service received a criminal investigation concerning Williams for repeated possession of weapons and use of weapons while he was in federal custody at a local detention facility.
Court documents in this case indicate that, on four different occasions, Williams was found in possession of homemade weapons, generally consisting of pieces of metal filed down to a point.
In April 2021, Williams pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robbery. Then on June 24, 2022, Williams pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon by an inmate.
Williams remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
