ATLANTA — A former women’s college lacrosse player pleaded guilty Thursday to being one of the masterminds behind a violent home invasion robbery in southeast Atlanta in 2019 after reaching a deal with prosecutors.
Lauren Rielly, 24, pleaded guilty as a first offender to charges of robbery, participation in criminal street gang activity and possession of a scheduled II controlled substance with intent to distribute.
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Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney sentenced Rielly to 18 years, with eight to serve in prison and the balance on probation.
As part of her plea deal, she agreed to work with prosecutors on this case and a future drug case involving suspected gang members.
Rielly and her former Life University teammate, Lyndsey Kallish, 23, planned the Nov.8, 2019, armed robbery and then recruited Tyrone Robinson and Maxx Pritchett to commit the crimes.
Robinson and Pritchett went to trial earlier this month and both were found guilty by a Fulton County jury.
Robinson was sentenced to 30 years on charges of home invasion, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and participation in criminal street gang activity. Pritchett was sentenced to 40 years on similar charges.
Kallish took a plea deal and was sentenced to 15 years probation and she will also have to spend 10 weekends at the Fulton County Jail. Both women testified on behalf of the prosecution during the Robinson and Pritchett trial.
Rielly has been in jail since 2023 after she was arrested on multiple drug charges last summer.
Fulton County prosecutor Rives Hiles said she was pulled over in Fulton County with prescription pills, MDMA and pressed pills containing fentanyl. Rives also told McBurney that she was in the car with a gang member and when investigators reviewed their phones, they found evidence that the pair were working together to sell the drugs.
With her mother sitting behind her in the courtroom, Rielly read a prepared statement, apologizing for the pain and trauma she caused her victims.
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“I’m here today to accept full responsibility for my actions,” she read. “For any sorrow or pain that I have caused, I apologize sincerely.”
“I understand how traumatic the events I participated in can be for the victims as I would never want anyone I love to go through that as well,” she added. “I was acting off immaturity and impulsivity. During that time period, I was struggling mentally and did not realize the large impact that this would have on all of our lives.”
Rielly’s attorney, Zachary Kelehear, asked for mercy, explaining that his client had been dealing with mental health issues and was unable to take her prescriptions because they were having a negative impact on her performance as an athlete.
He also described an unstable home life that left his client without a place to live for five months.
“In November 2021, there were a series of issues at home in which she was essentially no longer welcomed,” he said.
Kelehear asked the judge to sentence his client to 20 years, with five years to serve in prison and the rest on probation.
During Thursday’s sentencing, Hiles read an impact statement on behalf of one of the seven victims.
“I have been forever changed by the traumatic events,” he read in part.
Hiles also mentioned that many of the victims have struggled to finish college. He also added that the trauma experienced by the victims has left them too afraid to address the court.
Before sentencing Rielly, McBurney warned her that she still has an opportunity to make a life for herself when she gets out of prison, but he added that she will have to make better decisions and stay out of trouble.
“Ten years is a long time on probation,” he said. “But, I’m doing that on purpose because I want to make sure that you get some supervision for a while as you get out because you’ll be making some adjustments.”
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