Uncle and nephew indicted in metro Atlanta crime spree involving multiple armed robberies of banks and businesses

ATLANTA – William Anthony Everett and Marcus Lamont Ward, Jr. were charged in a superseding indictment by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit and commission of armed robberies of two banks, and several robberies of Metro PCS stores, Subway sandwich shops, and a Dollar General store. The men were also charged with several counts of possessing a firearm during these armed robberies.  Everett was also charged with possessing a firearm while a convicted felon.

“Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers collaborated extensively to solve the violent crime spree for which the defendants are charged,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “These defendants are alleged to have committed numerous armed robberies, together and separately, in several metro Atlanta cities. Their crimes involved harrowing incidents in which bank tellers and cashiers were terrorized, while they were forced to relinquish cash at gunpoint.”

“For about a two-month period, these two defendants are alleged to have terrorized innocent victims who just happened to be in their path,” said J.C. Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The reign of terror ended, and now the traumatized victims can take solace that these two defendants will face justice in court, thanks to the coordinated effort of several law enforcement agencies.”  

“This indictment demonstrates the outstanding work of law enforcement at all levels to investigate violent crimes in Georgia,” said GBI Director Vernon Keenan.  “The GBI remains committed to working with our local and federal partners to aggressively pursue and dismantle this type of criminal element in our state.” 

“I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the collaborative partnership that has developed resulting in local, county, state, and federal authorities working together to ensure our communities are protected from violent offenders,” said LaGrange Police Chief Louis Dekmar.

“This case is an excellent example of law enforcement agencies working together quickly and effectively, leading to the arrests and subsequent indictment of these criminals,” said Hogansville Police Chief Brian Harr.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the superseding indictment, and other information presented in court: On October 7, 2016,  LaGrange Police Department (LPD) officers arrested Everett and Ward in a dark gray jeep following a traffic stop executed by the Hogansville Police Department (HPD). The defendants’ arrests occurred shortly after the armed robbery of a Community Bank and Trust (CB&T) branch in LaGrange. Inside the jeep, owned and driven by Ward, officers recovered a black and silver semi-automatic pistol, money from the LaGrange bank, and clothing -  a shirt, baseball cap, and black sunglasses - that matched items worn by the robber during the LaGrange robbery, as captured by the bank’s surveillance cameras.  A bank manager at the LaGrange CB&T branch identified Everett as the man who committed the LaGrange and Hogansville armed robberies. A witness described seeing two suspicious men behind the Hogansville CB&T branch emerge from a dark Jeep just before that bank robbery.

Following the defendants’ arrests, the FBI consulted with Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and local law enforcement officers about a rash of armed commercial robberies involving Metro PCS stores, Subway sandwich shops, and a Dollar General store. During all but one of the robberies, video surveillance footage captured a man who appeared to be Everett pointing either a silver and black, or black, handgun at the cashiers while robbing the establishments. Multiple witnesses described the man resembling Everett as escaping in a dark jeep that matched the general description of Ward’s jeep, in which the men were arrested on October 7, 2016. Another witness from one of the Metro PCS stores knew Everett and Ward and reported their involvement in the Metro PCS store robbery. The cashiers at the Dollar General store also identified Everett as the armed robber of their business.

The superseding indictment alleges that Everett and Ward conspired to commit the following armed robberies, including some in which only Everett is charged in the substantive counts of the indictment:

●September 29, 2016, armed robbery of a Metro PCS store located in southeast Atlanta, Georgia;

●September 22, 2016, armed robbery of a Metro PCS store located in Decatur, Georgia, including the brandishing of a firearm during this crime of violence;

●September 12, 2016, armed robbery of a Metro PCS store located in Fairburn, Georgia, including the brandishing of a firearm during this crime of violence;

●September 7, 2016, armed robbery of a Subway sandwich shop located in Forest Park, Georgia, including the brandishing of a firearm during this crime of violence;

●August 29, 2016, armed robbery of a Metro PCS store located in College Park, Georgia, including the brandishing of a firearm during this crime of violence;

●August 23, 2016, armed robbery of a Metro PCS store located in northwest Atlanta, Georgia; and

●August 14, 2016, armed robbery of a Dollar General store located in Kennesaw, Georgia.

William Anthony Everett, 57, and Marcus Lamont Ward, Jr., 31, both of Atlanta, Ga., were charged in a superseding indictment on July 10, 2018 for conspiracy to commit and commission of armed robberies of two banks, and several store robberies, including several counts of possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of these armed robberies.  Members of the public are reminded that the superseding indictment only contains charges.  The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta Police Department, DeKalb Police Department, Fairburn Police Department, Forest Park Police Department, Fulton County Police Department, Hapeville Police Department, Hogansville Police Department, LaGrange Police Department, Kennesaw Police Department, and Newnan Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr., Chief of the Violent Crime and National Security Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dashene A. Cooper are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.