WILMINGTON — Daekwon Sample of Goldsboro, AKA Kwon, who sometimes used fake ads on the online application OfferUp to lure victims to a location where they would be robbed and assaulted, plead guilty to firearm and armed robbery charges against him.
If the ads that consumers saw on the website OfferUp were truthful, they would’ve seen a price of -$1,300 and terrorization by armed men instead of the car they were deceived into believing they would find, according to a prepared statement form the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sample was sentenced to around 15 years in prison on the same day he plead guilty, Jan. 27, and also received five years of supervised release and more than $1,500 in financial restitution for charges associated with multiple successful and attempted armed robberies between the August and September 2019.
“This robber and his accomplices used fake online car ads to lure victims to a location where they robbed the victims at gunpoint, even firing shots at one victim who had his minor child with him while another victim and minor child were threatened at gunpoint in the car,” said. U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The members of this robbery crew have hitched a ride to a lengthy stay in federal prison. But this case is a reminder for consumers to be cautious when arranging meetings to retrieve goods purchased online. You should only arrange to meet in public, well-lit locations where there will be other people around. And make sure a friend or family member knows where you are going and who you are meeting.”
According to court documents and information presented in court, officers with the Goldsboro Police Department (GPD) responded to a report of an assault and robbery in August 2019. A couple contacted an unknown subject through OfferUp at a Mimosa Street residence in Goldsboro, with the intention of purchasing a vehicle.
The couple arrived at the location with their two minor children and the seller, later identified as Sample, and co-defendant Jaquan Melvin, robbed the victims at gunpoint of more than $1,300. Shots were fired at the feet of one of the victims before fleeing the scene. Approximately a month later near the same residence, a pizza delivery driver was assaulted and robbed by Sample and another individual, later identified as co-defendant Isaiah Kornegay.
The same evening of the pizza robbery at the Mimosa Street residence, the robbery crew struck again, in a similar, fake transaction initiated through OfferUp assaulting the interested buyer. The victim told police that Kornegay brandished a firearm as he fled from the assault.
On Sept. 11, 2019, undercover officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) posed as buyers of a vehicle posted from the OfferUp account used in the previous robberies. The seller directed the agents to meet at the Mimosa Street residence. When agents arrived at the residence, they immediately arrested Sample. Kornegay fled but was found nearby and arrested the same night. Melvin fled the scene and was found and arrested the next month. Further investigation revealed that Kornegay created the “Offer Up” account used in the robberies.
Kornegay previously pled guilty and was sentenced to around 8 years in custody, three years of supervised release and financial restitution. Melvin previously pled guilty and was sentenced to around 14 years in custody, five years of supervised release and financial restitution.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Goldsboro Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Boykin and Bryan M. Stephany prosecuted the case.
Don Connelly, Public Information Officer, can be reached via email at [email protected]
