A 19-year-old St. Paul man is going to prison for being among several people who have sometimes used violence to steal more than 100 cellphones in downtown Minneapolis and then drain money from their victims' financial apps.
Man sentenced for violent cellphone robbery in downtown Minneapolis
A co-defendant remains jailed ahead of a trial scheduled to begin in January.
October 26, 2022 at 1:06PM
Kevron Detrell Williams Gray was sentenced Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court to a term of 9¾ years after pleading guilty to first-degree aggravated robbery for taking part with an accomplice in a robbery in July that left a man with a severe head injury.
With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Gray is expected to serve about 6¼ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Co-defendant Jamarcus Robert Tucker, 21, also of St. Paul, is charged with two first-degree aggravated robbery counts and remains jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail ahead of a trial scheduled to begin on Jan. 23.
Police say a group of six to eight strangers approached 24-year-old Jack Nadeau and his friend on July 24 outside the Gay 90s nightclub at bar close. Nadeau handed Gray his phone after being told the group wanted to add their rap collective's account to his Instagram.
Gray slipped the phone to another member of the group. When Nadeau asked for it back, Gray said he didn't have it, according to charges and information detailed by police in the warrant application.
Surveillance video showed the two men arguing, and then another stepped in, pushed Nadeau and punched him, according to the charges. Nadeau fell unconscious to the sidewalk. Former Maplewood Police Chief Scott Nadeau told the Star Tribune his son suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Jack Nadeau's cellphone apps were used in 20 fraudulent transactions totaling $1,760, including to purchase Nike shoes on Amazon, which were shipped to Gray's address, according to the charges.
Charges say Gray pulled the same scheme on two more victims two days later, and he punched one of them in the the face.
Last month, charges of racketeering were filed against 12 people following an extensive joint investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which looked into 65 cases during the past year.
The charges say the roving network of sometimes violent robbers stole cellphones from people near bars downtown and in Dinkytown, drained their financial apps of money totaling more than $275,000 and routinely sold the phones to a Minneapolis man who ships them to buyers overseas.
Four of the 12 men charged with racketeering were due to appear in court Wednesday, including the man accused of trafficking in the cellphones. Zhongshuang Su, 32, remains free after posting $250,000 bail.
Charlie Pryor Jr., 18, and Aaron Johnson, 25, remain in custody and appeared in court as scheduled, but Alfonze Stuckey, 23, had his appearance moved to Nov. 4 pending additional charges. All three are from St. Paul.
Staff writers Nadine Manske and Andy Mannix contributed to this report.
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