NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The five men affiliated with the United Blood Nation gang has been sentenced for their roles in a series of armed robberies at convenience stores in Virginia Beach and Norfolk in 2022, the last one being sentenced Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Four of the men — Harold Edward Spencer III of Virginia Beach, Kareem Doyle Ross of Newport News, Roshaun Devon Griffin of Virginia Beach and Jon Demetrious Jacques Morgan of Portsmouth — had been sentenced in 2023. The fifth, Marvin Eugene Lockhart Jr., was sentenced Friday to more than 22 years in prison.
According to court documents, here is the timeline of the armed robbery spree:
- Jan. 14, 2022: Spencer and Ross began a two-month robbery spree when they robbed a Citgo Mini Mart in Virginia Beach, pointing firearms at employees and taking money, lottery tickets and cigarettes. The two, later that day — and still armed — robbed a Circle D Food Mart in Virginia Beach, with Spencer firing his handgun twice at a customer trying to flee the scene, court documents state.
- Feb. 7, 2022: Spencer, Ross and a third person robbed an Express Food Mart in Norfolk, court documents state, and all of them pointed guns at employees and customers while stealing money, cigarettes, lottery tickets and cigars.
- Feb. 19, 2022: Spencer, Ross and Lockhart robbed a Crown Gas Station in Virginia Beach. Like the Feb. 7, 2022 robbery, everyone pointed guns at employees and customers while stealing money and cigarettes, court documents state.
- March 5, 2022: Spencer, Ross and Griffin robbed an Arrowhead Food Mart in Virginia Beach, taking money, cigarettes and lottery tickets, and Spencer and Ross pointed guns at an employee.
- March 12, 2022: Spencer, Ross and Lockhart robbed a Jr. Market in Norfolk, stealing money and lottery tickets, and all three pointed guns at an employee.
- March 18, 2022: Ross, Spencer, Lockhart, Griffin and Morgan attempted to rob a Tiger Mart in Virginia Beach, with Ross, Lockhart, Griffin and Morgan going into the Tiger Mart as a group, while Spencer was in a nearby vehicle as a getaway driver. The four men who went inside aborted the robbery and ran back to the vehicle, attempting to get away from police, but as they tried to get away, they threw the guns they possessed during the robbery out of the window. Virginia Beach Police used spike strips to disable the vehicle, and all five men were arrested.
The charges the men were convicted of or pleaded guilty to, along with their sentences, are outlined below:
- Harold Edward Spencer III, 34, of Virginia Beach, was convicted at trial on Dec. 13, 2022 of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery; attempted interference with commerce by means of robbery; attempted interference with commerce by means of robbery; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence. On Nov. 7, 2023, Spencer was sentenced to 42 years and three months in prison.
- Kareem Doyle Ross, 34, of Newport News, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery; interference and attempted interference with commerce by means of robbery; and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence. On June 13, 2023, Ross received a 27 year and one month sentence.
- Marvin Eugene Lockhart Jr., 34, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty Oct. 6, 2022 to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery; interference and attempted interference with commerce by means of robbery; and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence. He was sentenced Friday to 22 years and one month in prison.
- Roshaun Devon Griffin, 36, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty Oct. 4, 2022 to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery; interference and attempted interference with commerce by means of robbery; and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence. On June 9, 2023, Griffin was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison.
- Jon Demetrious Jacques Morgan, 34, of Portsmouth, was convicted of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery; attempted interference with commerce by means of robbery; and being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Nov. 7, 2023, he was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.