An Indianapolis teenager was sentenced to 157 months in federal prison for his involvement in a string of violent robberies that occurred when he was a juvenile.
Andre Jermaine Maxey, 18, pleaded guilty to six counts of interference with commerce by threats of violence and one count of possession of a firearm during a violent crime. He was sentenced as an adult, although he was a teenager at the time the crimes were committed.
In addition to his prison sentence, Maxey was ordered by Judge Sarah Evans Barker to pay upwards of $23,000 in restitution for his crimes.
“Gun violence has no place in a civil society,” United States Attorney Josh Minkler said in a press release. “Maxey and his accomplices willingly used extreme violence while robbing gun stores and crowded restaurants. He now understands the full force of federal law enforcement. To the extent that juveniles believe they are immune from federal prosecution, they should now know that belief is mistaken.”
Over a few weeks in fall 2015, Maxey assisted three men — Ronald Wade, Theondre Matthews and Markel Gray, in robberies of restaurants in southern Indiana. The spree began with the robbery of a Little Caesars in Indianapolis on Sept. 22, 2015. Over the course of the next several weeks, Maxey helped the men rob a Dinner Bell restaurant, Hilltop Tavern and Binkley’s Kitchen and Bar in Indianapolis. In all the robberies, the employees and patrons of the restaurants were threatened by the robbers. Some were made to lay on the floor.
On Nov. 4, 2015, the group robbed KS&E Guns in Lawrence, Indiana. They entered the store, clad in gloves and masks and brandishing weapons. Although no shots were fired, the owner of the store was pistol whipped by one of the men. In total, the group stole 44 firearms — including handguns, shotguns and semi-automatic rifles — and more than $16,000 worth of ammunition.
When special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives came to investigate the robbery at KS&E Guns, the evidence they found led them to connect the men to the restaurant robberies they’d committed in September and October. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Lawrence Police Department also assisted in the investigation.
“The negative impact this suspect had on the lives and families of Indianapolis and Lawrence, Indiana is un-measureable,” IMPD Chief Bryan Roach said in a press release. “I am thankful for the good work and dedication of all IMPD detectives working in collaboration with our Federal partners. Federal, state and local law enforcement officers will continue to pursue these types of crimes and criminals to make Indianapolis and the metropolitan area a safer place.”
The men Maxey assisted in the robberies have not yet been sentenced, but they could face life imprisonment.
