Fugitive Wanted Since 2015 On Robbery Charges Apprehended

A fugitive wanted since 2015 for a Hobbs Act Robbery related to jewelry store smash and grabs in 2014 and 2015 appeared in federal court today. Arthur Berry Jr. was arrested by the FBI’s Phoenix Division on March 18, 2019 and was returned to Michigan earlier this week to face charges for conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery.

Berry, 32, from Detroit, Michigan, was found in Phoenix, Arizona, where he allegedly fled in 2015 after being indicted by a federal grand jury earlier that year. Berry was a leader of a group that conducted the following robberies:

September 2014: Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Toledo, Ohio

October 2014: Lux Bond & Green Jewelers in West Hartford, Connecticut

November 2014: Fink’s Jewelers in Sterling, Virginia

November 2014: RF Moeller Jewelry in St. Paul, Minnesota

February 2015: Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Erie, Pennsylvania

September 2015: Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Portage, Michigan

Berry was the only remaining fugitive out of nearly two dozen subjects that have been prosecuted since 2014. According to court documents, Berry’s co-defendants all pled guilty and received various sentences, including a fourteen year prison term for one of the group’s leaders, Cedarrius Frost.

“The arrest of Mr. Berry for his involvement in these robberies reflects the dedication, cooperation, and persistence of law enforcement at every level,” said SAC Slater. “We are particularly grateful to the FBI’s Phoenix Division for working diligently over the last few months to locate Mr. Berry and helping us to ensure he faces the consequences for his criminal behavior.”    

Berry has been charged with six counts of conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery. If convicted, Berry would face a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Berry’s arrest involved the participation of and coordination with the FBI Phoenix Division’s Desert Hawk Violent Crimes Task Force and the FBI Detroit Division’s Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force.