Press Release

Defendant and Two Others Robbed Stores at Gunpoint

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Reginald Williams was sentenced today to 11 years in prison for a robbery spree that hit 10 locations, including gas stations and convenience stores — with 15 people held up at gunpoint — in November 2022. His two co-defendants have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced next month.

District Attorney Katz said: “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. We will prosecute anyone trying to take advantage of their hard-working proprietors and employees, or their customers. We can never lose sight of the fact that communities thrive when local businesses thrive.”

Williams, 23, of Boerum Street, Brooklyn, pleaded guilty on June 9 to two counts of robbery in the first degree before Justice Gia Morris, who today sentenced the defendant to 11 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision.

When sentenced July 10, co-defendant Calvin Scantlebury, 39, faces up to six years in prison and co-defendant Dewkwan Cooper, 23, is expected to receive five years’ probation.

The three men were charged with taking part in the following robberies from Nov. 8, 2022, through Nov. 20, 2022. The dates, locations and items taken are as follows:

• November 8, between 12:48 a.m. and 12:50 a.m., at 135-28 Rockaway Blvd., approximately $900-
$1,000.
• November 8, between 10:53 p.m. and 10:56 p.m., at 79-09 Rockaway Blvd., approximately $600 and a quantity of checks.
• November 9, between 1:30 a.m. and 1:55 a.m., at 66-10 Grand Avenue, approximately $3,900.
• November 11, between 1:10 a.m. and 1:15 a.m., at 87-74 168th Street, approximately $2,000 and a chain from a victim’s neck.
• November 11, between 1:45 a.m. and 1:55 a.m., at 793 Wyckoff Avenue, approximately $2,000, the cell phone of a security guard, a sum of money from the wallet of one employee, lottery tickets and 10 packs of Newport cigarettes.
• November 15, between 1:55 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., at 66-20 Fresh Pond Road, approximately $1,000 from the cash register, multiple cigarette packs and a customer’s cellphone.
• November 16, between 11:53 p.m. and 11:55 p.m., at 44-33 Kissena Boulevard. The defendants fled empty handed.
• November 17, between 12:50 a.m. and 12:55 a.m., at 17-55 Francis Lewis Blvd, approximately $2,400 and eight Metro cards.
• On November 20, 2022, between 12:20 a.m. and 12:30 a.m., at 92-22 Astoria Boulevard, approximately$3,000 and rolling papers.
• On November 20, between 12:57 a.m. and 1:00 a.m., at 39-04 Skillman Avenue, approximately $1,700 and multiple packs of Newport cigarettes.

The defendants were arrested after the robberies on November 20, when police received a description of the trio fleeing in a Nissan Maxima. An officer who saw the car and suspects, pulled them over for a traffic violation and observed multiple packs of Newport cigarettes in the vehicle. The defendants were identified by the victims in both November 20 incidents. A search warrant was executed on the vehicle and a loaded .40 caliber pistol was recovered from the trunk.

Each incident was captured on video surveillance and showed the three perpetrators wearing distinctive clothing and face masks. Williams was arrested wearing clothing from some of the robberies.

Assistant District Attorney Katherine McCabe, of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of Major Crimes Shawn Clark.

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