Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Hugo J. Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, James Loftus, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), and Al Lamberti, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), announce the April 30, 2012, sentencing of Quartavious Davis, 20, of Goulds, for his participation in a series of seven armed robberies. U.S. District Judge Alan S. Gold sentenced Davis to 1,941 months (approximately 162 years) in prison.

On February 9, 2012, a federal jury in Miami convicted Davis of committing, in a span of just two months, seven armed robberies of commercial establishments in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Davis was also convicted of conspiring to commit those robberies and of carrying firearms during and in relation to those robberies. Davis committed most of these robberies with his high school friends, co-defendants Jamarquis Reid and Willie Smith.

According to the evidence presented at trial, some of these robberies turned violent. For example, at a Little Caesar’s Pizza in Homestead (robbed on August 7, 2010), Reid repeatedly kicked the store manager when the manager failed to open the safe quickly enough. Another time, at an Advance Auto Parts store (robbed on September 15, 2010), Davis fired two shots at a dog that chased the robbers as they fled the store. Then, during the September 25, 2010 robbery of Universal Beauty Salon, Davis brandished his loaded gun and threatened to kill the father of one of the children who was competing in the adjacent Tae Kwon Do studio. Subsequently, at a Wendy’s (robbed on September 26, 2010), Davis exchanged gunfire with a customer who had a concealed weapons permit and was eating at the Wendy’s with his wife.

Reid, 20, and Smith, 21, both of Goulds, were previously sentenced to 20 years in prison. Jahmal Martin, 25, also of Goulds, received a 10-year prison sentence. Two other members of the robbery crew, Michael Martin, 28, who participated in only one robbery, and Sylvester Fisher, 24, both of Goulds, received sentences of 9 years and 22 years, respectively. These defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roy K. Altman and Amanda Perwin.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “These sentences reflect the commitment of my office and our law enforcement partners to combat violent crime and serial armed robbers in South Florida. We will not allow our community to be overrun by guns and violence. Instead, we will combine our resources and stand firm in our joint commitment to make our community and our citizens safe.”

Including the Davis robbery sprees, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, working together with ATF, the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, has obtained convictions of all defendants in two other serial armed robbery crews.

In the second series of robberies, in February 2012, Montavis Middleton, 23, of Cutler Bay, Trevor Ransfer, 20, of Florida City, Kendrick Lowe, 22, of Miami, Eric Hanna, 19, of Florida City and Fabian Warren, 21, of Homestead, were convicted of committing multiple armed robberies in Miami-Dade County during the Summer and Fall of 2010. According to documents filed with the court, these defendants were responsible for armed robberies at the Doral Ale House, a CVS in Hialeah and -- on the same night -- a CVS in Kendall, a Family Dollar Store, a Shell Gas Station, a Farm Store in Sweetwater, and a Wendy’s restaurant. During their robbery spree, the defendants terrorized their victims, who included both store employees and customers, several of whom testified about being pistol whipped and having loaded firearms held to their heads by masked robbers. Middleton was sentenced to 44 years in prison. Ransfer, Lowe, Hanna, and Warren, all of whom face life in prison, are scheduled to be sentenced on May 23, 2012. These defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Parente and Olivia Choe together with the Miami-Dade Police Department, the ATF, the Hialeah Police Department, the Sweetwater Police Department, and the Florida City Police Department.

Then, in 2011, Jaymarquis Reeves, 20, Marcus Lee, 22, Daniel Jenkins, 23, Derrick Harrell, 20, and Corwin Dantzle, 21, all from Goulds, were convicted of committing, and conspiring to commit, multiple armed robberies in and around Miami-Dade County. During their crime spree, they took turns entering the establishments, brandishing their firearms at patrons and business owners. This group targeted auto parts stores, a Walgreens, and a McDonalds. For their participation in these crimes, Reeves received 5 years in prison; Lee received 12 years in prison; Jenkins received 11 years in prisons; Harrell received 25 years in prison; and Dantzle, who was convicted at trial, received 32 years in prison. These defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Gilfarb together with the Miami-Dade Police Department and the ATF.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ATF, the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

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A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.