Gunman sentenced to 32 years in prison for serial commercial robbery spree

ATLANTA - Deanthony Foster has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for participating in armed robberies of seven commercial businesses in the Atlanta area, including Wal-Mart Stores and Citgo Stores.  Foster carried a gun in all of the robberies, pointed the gun at employees, and actually shot into the floor at one of the Wal-Mart robberies while demanding money.  He coordinated with other individuals who acted as lookouts by cell phone.
 

“Foster cared nothing for people or their safety while he sought to enrich himself at the end of a gun,” said U. S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “He seriously injured one individual and terrorized many others, including employees and members of the public by displaying a firearm, and in one instance, discharging a firearm.  His sentence is lengthy and reflective of the seriousness of his crime.”

“Mr. Foster was responsible for a violent crime spree where others were seriously hurt.  As a result of much hard work by many law enforcement agencies working together with federal prosecutors,  this sentencing in federal court to a lengthy prison sentence will not only hold him accountable but will make our community a safer place for all,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court:  From May 15, 2015 to October 26, 2015, Deanthony Foster and others carried out a series of armed robberies before they were identified by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Six of the robberies targeted Wal-Mart Stores.  The defendants researched the locations of the stores in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb Counties, and then conducted surveillance before and during the robberies.  They communicated by cell phone before and after each robbery, always with one or two of them acting as getaway drivers waiting in the parking lot.  The lookouts were captured on in-store videos while talking on their cell phones and casing the stores. 

In each robbery, Foster, also captured on video, entered the stores wearing a surgical mask, with a gun in his hand, and demanded money from employees who were emptying cash registers.  In the last robbery of this series, Foster discharged his gun into the floor near the employees when they did not immediately meet his demands for money. 

After the indictment, law enforcement agents found that the defendant had participated in another commercial robbery in Cobb County where he shot an employee in the leg when the victim struggled with him. 
         

Deanthony Foster, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia,  has been sentenced to 32 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $24,791.00, and a special assessment of $200.  Foster was convicted on these charges on August 11, 2017, after he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Police Departments of Cobb County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County, Hapeville, Roswell, Riverdale, Dunwoody, and the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine M. Hoffer and Jessica C.  Morris prosecuted the case.

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.