ATLANTA — Federal agents say a Georgia inmate may have been the mastermind behind a North Carolina jewelry store robbery.
A criminal complaint says Deuntria Lyons communicated and helped guide the thieves before the robbery.
Lyons is currently serving six life sentences for doing the same thing more than a decade ago.
“The level of sophistication here is unusual compared to what we typically see in the state of Georgia,” Chris Timmons, a former prosecutor, told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna.
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According to a criminal complaint, a suspect scoped out the North Carolina store a few weeks before the robbery.
The suspect then sent videos of the layout to an Instagram account that authorities would later link to Lyons. Messages between the suspect and Lyons included the planning of multiple thefts.
“There has to be something the prison system can do to prevent this guy from getting cell phones, quite frankly, this is embarrassing for the prison system in the state of Georgia,” Timmons said.
Georgia’s Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment.
Back in 2012, Deuntria Lyons was off the streets serving a 20-year sentence for armed robbery, but authorities say he still was the mastermind behind multiple crimes.
“It was almost disbelief that somebody inside prison, serving a sentence for armed robbery, is now coordinating other armed robberies,” Sgt. John Wilbanks told Channel 2 Action News at the time.
They said Lyons continued his crime spree because prepaid cell phones are readily available behind bars.
“He sent text messages on where he wanted these guys to be, where to meet up, what he wanted them to do,” Detective David Brucz said.
In the first robbery, thieves shoved customers to the ground inside Barrons Fine Jewelry in Snellville in February 2011.
A month later, a crew used hammers to smash the cases and attack customers at Tara Fine Jewelry in Buford.
Investigators said Lyons arranged to have the loot pawned and fenced. When they questioned Lyons, they said he was wearing a cellphone watch.
Lyons was sentenced to six life sentences for the crimes.
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“Somebody like this, who is serving multiple life sentences, doesn’t really have an incentive to behave on the inside,” Timmons said.
Timmons said smuggled cell phones in prisons is not a new issue.
He said right now, the incentives for smuggling the illegal phone often outweigh the perceived risks.
Timmons says the case in North Carolina does have federal agents involved, and a federal complaint may get him sent to a higher security prison.
“Maybe something like Supermax in Colorado would prevent this guy from doing what he is doing,” Timmons said.
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